Liberian Studies Journal

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VOLUME X)0( 2005 Number 1

LIBERIAN STUDIES JOURNAL

Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman 1926-2004

Published by THE LIBERIAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION, INC.

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The Liberian Studies Journal is dedicated to the publication of original research on social, political, economic, scientific, and other issues about Liberia or with implications for Liberia. Opin- ions of contributors to the Journal do not necessarily reflect the policy of the organizations they represent or the Liberian Studies Association, publisher of the Journal.

Manuscript Requirements

Manuscripts submitted for publication should not exceed 25 typewritten, double-spaced pages, with margins of one-and a-half inches. The page limit includes graphs, references, tables and appendices. Authors may, in addition to their manuscripts, submit a computer disk of their work preferably in MS Word 2000 or WordPerfect 6.1 for Windows. Notes and references should be placed at the end of the text with headings, e.g., Notes; References. Notes, if any, should precede the references. The Journal is published in June and December. Deadline for the first issue is February, and for the second, August.

Manuscripts should include a cover page that provides the title of the text, author's name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and affiliation. Anonymous referees will review all works.

Manuscripts are accepted in English and French.

Manuscripts must conform to the editorial style of either the Chicago Manual of Style, or the American Psychological Association (APA), or Modern Language Association (MLA).

Authors should send their manuscripts for consideration by regular mail or e-mail attachments to:

Amos J. Beyan, Editor Liberian Studies Journal 4453 Friedmann Hall, Department of History Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 269-387-4567

All Book Reviews should be mailed to: Phyllis Belt-Beyan, Associate Editor Liberian Studies Journal College of Education, Teaching, Learning & Leadership 3418 Sangren Hall Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008 E-mail: [email protected] Phone: 269-387-3898 PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor VOLUME XXX 2005 Number 1

LIBERIAN STUDIES JOURNAL

SPECIAL ISSUE In Memory of Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman

Guest Editor D. Elwood Dunn Sewanee - The University of the South

Editor Amos J. Beyan Western Michigan University

Associate Editor Phyllis Belt-Beyan Western Michigan University

Book Review Editor Tim Geysbeek Grand Valley State University

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD:

William C. Allen, Virginia State University D. Elwood Dunn, Sewanee - The University of the South James N. J. Kollie, Sr., University of Liberia Alpha M. Bah, College of Charleston Warren d'Azevedo, University of Nevada Momo K. Rogers, Kpazolu Media Enterprises Christopher Clapham, Lancaster University Yekutiel Gershoni, Tel Aviv University Thomas Hayden, Society of African Missions Lawrence Breitborde, Knox College Svend E. Holsoe, University of Delaware Romeo E. Philips, Kalamazoo College Coroann Okorodudu, Rowan College of N. J. Henrique E Tokpa, Cuttington University College

LIBERIAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Phyllis Belt-Beyan, Western Michigan University, President Mary Moran, Colgate University, Secretary-Treasurer James Guseh, North Carolina State University, Parliamentarian Yekutiel Gershoni, Tel Aviv University, Past President Timothy A. Rainey, Johns Hopkins University Joseph Holloway, California State University-Northridge

IEdited at the History Department, Western Michigan University I The Editors and Advisory Board gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Diether H. Haenicke, Institute for International and Areas Studies, the History Department, and the Department of Teaching, Learning, and Leadership, Western Michigan University PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

by D. Elwood Dunn 1

GLIMPSES INTO THE LIFE OF DR. MARY ANTOINETTE HOPE BROWN SHERMAN BY THE FAMILY 3

A TRIBUTE TO MY LATE AUNT, DR. MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN-SHERMAN 1926-2004 by Jebeh Famata Mitchell 7

THE LIBERIA OFFICIAL GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY 9

THE UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA TOWARDS THE 2151 CENTURY by Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman 13

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS TO THE SEMI-ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE LIBERIAN RESEARCH ASSOCIATION by Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman 24

BARCLAY WOMEN IN LIBERIA-TWO GENERATIONS: A BIOGRAPHICAL DIC- TIONARY by Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman 28

A refereed journal that emphasizes the social sciences, humanities and the natural sciences, the Liberian Studies Journal is a semiannual publication devoted to studies on Africa's oldest Repub- lic. The annual subscription rate is US$40.00, US$15.00 for students, and US$50.00 for institutions. It includes membership in the Liberian Studies Association, Inc. All manuscripts and related matters should be addressed to Dr. Amos J. Beyan, Editor, Liberian Studies Journal, 4453 Friedmann Hall, Department of History, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michi- gan 49008. Subscriptions and other business matters should be directed to Dr. Mary Moran, Secretary-Treasurer, Liberian Studies Association, Inc., Department of Sociology and Anthro- pology, Colgate University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, New York 13346-1398. E-mail: [email protected]

PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor A TRIBUTE TO DR. MARY ANTOINETTE GRIMES BROWN SHERMAN by A. Romeo Horton 39

A TRIBUTE TO DR. MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN by Bertha Baker Azango 41

DR. MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN -A PROFILE OF COURAGE IN THE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA by Agnes Cooper Dennis 45

THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF DR. MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN TO EDUCATION by D. Evelyn S. Kandakai 53

TRIBUTE TO DR. MARY ANTOINETTE HOPE GRIMES BROWN SHERMAN, 1926-2004 by Raymond J. Smyke (deceased) 69

THE END OF AN ERA IN LIBERIA'S HISTORY: EULOGY TO DR. MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN; PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA 1978-1984 by Patrick L. N. Seyon 72

TRIBUTE TO MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN by Jane Martin 75

DR. MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN: THE LEGACY by Felicia Williams Lamptey 77

TRIBUTE TO MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN AT WAKEKEEPING ON JUNE 18, 2004 by D. Elwood Dunn 83

A TRIBUTE TO DR. MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN by James S. Guseh 85

PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor WRITINGS OF MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN 87

1992 CURRICULUM VITAE 91

PRESIDENTS - LIBERIA COLLEGE/UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA 97

NEW STUDIES ON OR RELEVANT TO LIBERIA 98

DOCUMENTS 104

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE 115

The Liberian Studies Journal initiated marking the passing of significant Liberian scholars by devoting a Special Issue to their lives and contributions. Volume XV, number 2, 1990, the first, is a tribute to Bai Tamia Moore (1920-1988). Here, we pause to salute Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, a path-setting female Liberian educator and scholar, who passed away in June 2004. This introduction offers brief descriptions of a mix of tributes and articles. Follow- ing tributes from her family and the government of Liberia, we begin with an article by Dr. Sherman which was written in 1983 and articulates a progressive conception of the role of the University of Liberia in Liberian national society. Three other items also by her follow. The first, her presidential address to the Liberian Research Association in 1968, speaks to academic research challenges of that era. The second is an insightful interview which she accorded The Liberian Professional Exchange in 1988, while the third is a biographical dictionary of two generations of the female Barclays in Liberia. In succession then follow tributes by high school classmate A. Romeo Horton, and college classmate Bertha Baker Azango. Each shed light on Dr. Sherman's childhood and early education formation, Azango highlighting some three decades of professional collaboration. Former Dean of the Science College Agnes Cooper Dennis aptly calls her piece "a profile of courage in the history and life of the University of Liberia" as she recounts a quarter century of Dr. Sherman's collaborative work in the institution's transitioning from the old Liberia College to a modern University deliberately designed to serve Liberia. D. Evelyn S. Kandakai, Liberia's current Education Minister and herself a professional educator, initiates an assessment of Dr. Sherman's contributions to education in Liberia. Before his own sudden death in December 2004, Prof. Raymond Smyke, biogra- pher of the Vai-Liberian diplomat Momolu Massaquoi, paid glowing tribute reflecting years of work within the National Teachers Association of Liberia, and the Swiss-based World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP). Former University of Liberia President Patrick L.N. Seyon's tribute captures the core of her leadership ethos and her singular contributions to purposeful education in Liberia and beyond. Jane Martin reflects on her personal experience with Dr. Sherman as she endeavors to convey the expatriate community of scholar's appreciation of this Liberian of "high standards and sharp intellect." Felicia Williams Lamptey, a student when Dr. Sherman was Dean of Teachers College, seeks to capture the teacher and motivator especially of traditionally disadvantaged girls and women.

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My own tribute briefly recounts my encounters with this remarkable Liberian woman. James Guseh's tribute on behalf of the Liberian Studies Association follows as he pays homage to a fallen colleague and valued scholar. The Special Issue ends with a list of Dr. Sherman's published and unpublished works available, noting the posthumous publication of her Jellemoh: The Lift and Times of Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh Cheeseman Grimes, A Liberian Wife and Mother (New World African Press, 2005).This is followed by a 1992 Curriculum Vitae. This publication appears at a time when Liberians prepare to go to the polls (Octo- ber 2005) to elect a leadership to guide national reconstruction and renewal following a quarter century of instability and civil war. The life and work of this distinguished daughter of Liberia will, I am convinced, figure prominently in the renewed national effort. I extend thanks and appreciation to all who contributed tributes and articles. I thank as well the current editor of the Liberian Studies Journal for the opportunity to serve as Guest Editor for the special edition. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman's life and work deserve meticulous and detailed scholarly inquiry. I hope an inquiring mind will seize the challenge and a full biography will be forthcoming before long.

D. Elwood Dunn Sewanee - The University of the South

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Glimpses into the Life of Dr. Mary Antoinette Hope Brown Sherman by The Family

Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes was born in Monrovia, Liberia on October 27, 1926 to the union of Louis Arthur and Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh Grimes. Her father was a previous Attorney General, Secretary of State, and finally Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia, a position held from 1933 until his death in 1948. Mary Antoinette's mother, Victoria Jellemoh, hailed from the Kiazolu clan of the Vai ethnic group in Jondu, Grand Cape Mount County. Jellemoh was separated from her parent during the Sofa tribal war (1891-1895), and adopted while approximately 5 years of age by then President of Liberia, Joseph J. Cheeseman, and his wife Mary Ann Cheeseman. The Grimes named their daughter Mary Antoinette, after Mrs. Cheeseman and after Antoinette Hope Barclay, aunt of Louis Arthur Grimes. Mary Antoinette was the fourth of five Grimes children, and the only girl. Her siblings were Louis Arthur, Jr. (1912-1919), Henry Waldron (1914-1990), Ernest Marbue (1928- 1943), and Joseph Rudolph (1923- ), who has survived them all. Home schooled by her mother through Grade 3, Mary Antoinette next attended the College of West Africa (a combination Elementary, Jr. High, and High School at the time) from which she graduated, with a High School Diploma, as Dux of her class in 1943. During the years of her primary and secondary education she was also enrolled in private classes for music, typewriting, and shorthand skills that served her well throughout her life. Mary Antoinette was one of very few girls of the time to continue education beyond high school. She attended Liberia College (now the Uni- versity of Liberia) and graduated Dux of a class of seven in 1947 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree. Encouraged by her parents, she furthered her formal education by travel- ing to the United States and earning her Master of Arts in Teaching Degree in 1949 from Radcliffe College (sister institution of Harvard University) in Cambridge, MA. In later years - after marriage, the birth of three children, and widowhood - Mary Antoinette earned a Ph.D. in Education from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, in 1967. Mary Antoinette began her life-long professional career in education the year after the completion of her Masters degree. She worked as an Instructor at the W.V.S. Tubman School of Teacher Training in Monrovia, Liberia until shortly after her marriage in 1950. She accompanied her husband to the United States from 1951-1956 while he was posted as Financial Attache to the Liberian Embassy, and she was appointed Advisor to Liberian students in the United States and Canada from 1954- 1956.

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Mary Antoinette rejoined the W.V.S. Tubman School of Teacher Training as Direc- tor, just when the School became part of the University of Liberia [U.L.] in 1956. She led the school to its successful elevation into the W.V.S. Tubman College of Teacher Training, within the U.L. system, and served as the college's first Dean from 1960- 1975. In 1975 she was promoted to Vice President for Academic Affairs of the Univer- sity. A crowning moment for her, Liberia, and Africa, came in 1978, when the Board of Trustees, upon the recommendation of Liberian President W.R. Tolbert, Jr., Visitor to the University, appointed her President of the University of Liberia. With this appointment she became the first female president of a university in Africa. She served as University President from 1978-1984 when she and the entire administration were removed from office, on a single day, by the military government which was ruling the country at the time. As President of the University, Dr. Sherman worked assiduously to improve its academic standards, and physical infrastructure of the institution. Dr. Sherman conceived of education in a way different from what was convention- ally taught, with the emphasis on Western-based knowledge, according to Dr. Amos Sawyer, Dean of the College of Fine Arts and Humanities during that period. "For her, education in an African context meant building on local knowledge. She felt strongly about expanding the frontiers of knowledge from our own local foundations." "She believed that integrating local scientific knowledge in medicine and other areas was an important role of the university," said Dr. Sawyer. Dr. Sherman urged the medical school to incorporate indigenous medical practices, such as the traditional bone setting. She also encouraged the study of the medical value of Liberian herbs. In the arts and humanities, said Dr. Sawyer, Dr. Sherman encouraged the teaching of Liberian languages, "such that along side the teaching of French, German and other European languages, we were now teaching Vai, Kpelle and Bassa, and there were others on the drawing board." The faculty under her also became central to the decision-making processes at the University, Dr. Sawyer recalled. In that way, he said, "she professionalized the management of the UL, established a strong merit system and accelerated the pursuit of excellence." Dr. Sherman held other positions of note, including, Chairman, the National Schol- arship Committee, 1973-1978; President, Liberian Research Association, 1967-1972; Chairman, West African Council for Teacher Education, 1974-1975; Member of the Executive Committee, Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA), 1982-1985; Member of the Executive Board, Association of African Universities, 1982-1984. Dr. Sherman authored over 20 papers and books, including a recent book about her mother, Jellemoh: A Story of the Life and Times of Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh Grimes, a Liberian Wife and Mother, scheduled to be published later this year. Dr. Sherman was specially recognized by a Presidential Decora- tion of Grand Band, Order of the Star of Africa, awarded by President Tolbert in 1972; PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor GLIMPSES INTO THE LIFE 5

by the American Association of University Women as an AAUW Fellow, 1963-66; and by students of UL as Professor of the Year in 1969. Dr. Sherman left Liberia in 1986, after being delivered by God from a period of imprisonment by the military government of the time. Her last professional appointments prior to her retirement included a position as Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Ohio State University in Columbus, OH from 1986-1987, and a position as Visiting Professor at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY from 1988-1990. Despite retirement in 1990, she continued to occasionally write and collaborate on scholarly works up until March, 2004, the start of her final period of physical decline and hospitalization. Dr. Sherman was an outstanding scholar, academician, and leader. However, she was first and foremost a family person. Following her return home from Radcliffe College, Mary Antoinette married Kedrick W. Brown (a banking and finance professional and later Liberia's Under Secretary of the Treasury for Fiscal Affairs), on August 2, 1950. Their union was blessed with three children - Kedrick, Jr., 1952, Victoria Angeline Lducia, 1955, and Byrd Arthur Marbue, 1960. One of the greatest trials of Mary Antoinette's life began on October 9, 1962 when her husband Kedrick suddenly died of what was later discovered to be failure of the only kidney he had. Mary Antoinette was left with three young children of her own, and also a niece, Jartu Freeman, at the age of 35. After her husband's death, relying on Psalm 69:5 which states, God is "Father of the fatherless, and defendeth the cause of widows..." she made the courageous decision to travel to the USA in 1963 to pursue a Ph.D. degree - not alone, but with her three children and three nieces. She kept the children with her in the US until the start of research for her Ph.D. thesis in 1965. In 1967, less than a month after completing her Ph.D., and returning to a new start at home in Liberia with her children, Mary Antoinette endured another major trial. Her daughter, Lducia, was hit by a car and died two days later, three weeks before her 12th birthday. Turning continually to God for daily help, she continued her life, working at the university, and raising her two sons, and four nieces/nephews/foster children. January 1, 1973 was a joyous day for Mary Antoinette when, after 10 years of widowhood, she married Honorable G. Flamma Sherman, Secretary of Education and former Liberian Ambassador to Ghana. With the marriage her extended family grew by five stepchildren and several nieces/nephews/foster children. Theirs was always a full house. This union lasted until the death of Hon. Sherman on July 24, 1999, due to complications of Alzheimer's disease. Over the years there were significant additions to what had in 1967 (after the loss of Lducia) been a little core family of three - Mary Antoinette and her two sons. Each of her sons married, Kedrick Jr. to Constance Yhap in 1974, and Marbue to Lena Saab in 1981. Mary Antoinette was blessed through those unions, with two wonderful and devoted daughters (more than "daughters-in-law"), nine natural born grandchildren, three grandchildren-in-law, and five natural born great grandchildren. Since her home PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 6 GLIMPSES INTO THE LIFE

was always open and never limited to her "natural" family, added to the number were the many children raised by her over the years, and later, their children. Her blessings also extended to wonderful relationships with her family of birth, and with the relatives of both of her two spouses - strong relationships that continued until her death. She was a loving and devoted daughter, sister, niece, wife, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, aunt, cousin, friend. Most important of all, Mary Antoinette Hope Brown Sherman was a woman of faith she knew the Lord Jesus Christ as her personal Lord and Savior. A woman of prayer for many years, she was also a devout student of the Bible. A faith in and help from the living God enabled her to survive and thrive through many trials including widowhood at age 36; raising five children while pursuing a Ph.D. degree in her late 30's; loss of her only daughter at age 41; politically motivated imprisonment at age 59; caring for her beloved but Alzheimer-stricken husband in her late 60's and early 70's; cancer in her 70's. She was greatly blessed with caring and supportive church families, primarily at Trinity Church/Trinity Cathedral in Monrovia, Liberia, and at Christ Church in Middletown, NJ, USA. Her soul and spirit departed her physical body on June 3, 2004, at Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel, New Jersey. Her loss is mourned by her only surviving brother, Honorable J. Rudolph Grimes and his wife, Mrs. Doris Grimes; her children, Kedrick and Connie Brown, Marbue and Lena Brown, stepchildren, Nefertiti Louiza and Felix Meyer, Corina, Victoria, Georgia, George and Marylue Sherman; foster children, nephews and nieces, including Hawa Freeman, Jartu Freeman Jebeh and Tyler Mitchell, Henry and Al Satta Browne, Hawa and Richard Saydee, Massa Talawoly, Hawa Turay, Joy and Ken Eke, Pearl Grimes, Jim Grimes, Merlene and Alex McCall, Kedrick and Riette Sawyerr, Marie Cooper, John Flama, Theresa Gildersleeve, Martha Hne, Arthur and Myrtle Kai, Charles Thomas, and Floyd Thomas. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Kedrick and Ivana Brown, Baika and Nicole Brown, Kelia and Joshua Hadley, and Taanya, Joel, Kani, Lemuel, Darren and Judah Brown. Also surviving her are five great grandchildren, Jacob and Natalie Brown, Avery Brown, Sakaia and Syr Hadley. Reflecting on her life of 77 1/2 years we say what she said on many occasions, "Sei gbi kamba wa to mu!" - All thanks belong to God!

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A Tribute to My Late Aunt, Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman 1926-2004

by Jebeh Famata Mitchell

Although I affectionately called her Aunty, she was in every practical sense my mother. Yes, she was my paternal aunt, but the only parental feeling she did not bear for me was the pangs of birth. She was my mother indeed. While I was yet an adolescent, Aunty selected me from among the many other equally related children who then lived with our grandmother, Auntie's aunt, in Viatown, a suburb of Monrovia, Liberia. I can only attribute my selection from among the many children as the providence of God for which I am sincerely grateful. Aunty brought me into her home and afforded me the opportunity to be who I am today. She was the only educated female in the family and was therefore cherished and honored by all of us - adults and children alike. Because the entire family held her so highly and expected so much from her, I drew from her the motivation to make my life worthwhile and therefore became the second female in the family to obtain a university degree. She also encouraged me to always take the learning process beyond the classroom. For that and so many other life values, Aunty was my mentor and role model. My Aunt thought me the value and dignity of earnest labor. I learned from her that the habit of begging and being content to get everything for nothing were sure recipes for a ruined life. She told me that if I acquired a good education and learned to work my way through life, I would free myself from the shame of being a liability to family and society. Integrity was a component of my Aunt's moral constitution. For her a spade was a spade and the truth had no substitute. Fair play and justice at home, at work and in the community were a natural part of her daily life and I witnessed her impart those values to those of us at home and those at her workplace. She did not waiver in making decisions based on justice and good ethics. Aunty thought me the wisdom of Christian love, to share that love with others. She demonstrated that in her home and the community - paying school fees not just for children in her household, but for less fortunate children in the community; always

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sharing gifts with other families and friends; giving a word of advice to put someone on the right track of life. Yes, she was my Aunt and she was my mother. She disciplined me in the wisdom of life not just by the words she spoke, but by the way she lived her daily life, which was by far the most important teaching tool she had. She was my mentor, and she was my role model. She was to me, God Sent. I am so grateful that I experienced life with her.

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THE LIBERIA OFFICIAL GAZETTE

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY

VOLUME V WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2004 NO.29

EXTRAORDINARY

The Government of the Republic of Liberia announces with profound regrets, the death in her seventy-seventh year of

MARY ANTOINETTE HOPE GRIMES BROWN SHERMAN, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., GBSA; FORMER PRESIDENT, UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA; FORMER VICE- PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS; FORMER DEAN OF THE WILL- IAM V.S. TUBMAN TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE, UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA; FORMER DIRECTOR, WIILIAM V.S. TUBMAN SCHOOL OF TEACHER TRAINING, LIBERIA COLLEGE; PATRIOT, SCHOLAR, ACADEMICIAN, AUTHOR, ADMINISTRATOR AND STATESWOMAN; REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

This painful and distressing event occurred on Thursday, June 3, 2004 at the Bayshore Community Hospital in Holmdel, New Jersey, United States of America after a period of illness. The late Dr. Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes Brown Sherman was born in Monrovia, Liberia on October 27, 1926 to the union of Louis Arthur and Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh Grimes. Her father was a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia and her mother hailed from the Kiazolu clan of the Vai ethnic group in Jondu, Grand Cape Mount County, in western Liberia. Mary Antoinette received her elementary and high school education at the College of West Africa from where she graduated Dux of her class in 1943. She then matriculated to Liberia College (now the University of Liberia) -a rare move by girls at that time to continue higher education after graduating from high school. Again, she

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excelled in her studies and graduated Dux of her class with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1947. She pursued further studies and earned a Master of Arts Degree in Teaching in 1949 from Radcliffe College (sister institution of Harvard University) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In later years, undaunted by the trials of widowhood and working single motherhood, she earned a Ph.D. in Education from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York in 1967. The late Dr. Sherman began her lifelong professional career in education after the completion of a Master's Degree. She worked as an Instructor at the William V.S. Tubman School of Teacher Training in Monrovia, Liberia. After her marriage in 1950, she accompanied her husband to his foreign service post where he served as Financial Attache' to the Embassy of Liberia in the United States. During this period, she was also appointed Advisor to Liberian Students studying in the United States and Canada from 1954 to 1956. Upon her return to Liberia, she rejoined the William V.S. Tubman School ofTeacher Training at the University of Liberia as Director in 1956. Mary Antoinette led the School to its successful elevation into the William V. S. Tubman College of Teacher Training and served as the first Dean from 1960 to 1975. In 1975, she was promoted to Vice-President for Academic Affairs of the University of Liberia. But, the title of Dean was her accolade throughout her years at the University. In 1978, upon the recommendation of the Visitor to the University, President William R. Tolbert, Jr., the Board ofTrustees appointed her President of the University of Liberia. This was the crowing moment for her, Liberia and Africa when she became the first woman president of a University in Africa. She served in that position from 1978 to 1984. Dr. Sherman worked assiduously to improve its academic standards and to develop the physical infrastructure of the University's new Fendall Campus and expanded the Col- lege of Agriculture and Forestry. It was during her tenure that the College of Agricul- ture was relocated to a new and modern Science and Technology complex in Fendall, Liberia. Dr. Sherman was an outstanding scholar; academician, and leader. However, she was, first and foremost, a family person. She was married to Kedrick W. Brown, a former Under Secretary of Treasury for Fiscal Affairs of Liberia on August 2, 1950. This union was blessed with three children, Kedrick, Jr., Victoria Lducia, and Marbue Arthur. Her husband predeceased her in 1962. Her daughter, Lducia, also predeceased her in 1967. On January 1, 1973, Mary Antoinette married the Honorable George Flamma Sherman, Former Secretary of Education and Former Ambassador of Liberia to Ghana. With her marriage, her extended family grew by five stepchildren and several nieces, nephews, and foster children. This union lasted until the death of Ambassador Sherman in July 1999. In 1986, Dr. Sherman left Liberia after a period of imprisonment by the military Government. She returned to the United States and accepted various appointments to

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positions in the academic world. These included Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio and Visiting Professor at Cornell Univer- sity in Ithaca, New York. Despite retirement in 1990, she continued to occasionally write and collaborate on scholarly works until March, 2004 when she started to experience a final period of illness. In her faith, Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes Brown Sherman was a Christian and a devout student of the Holy Bible. She attended and was greatly blessed with caring and supportive families primarily at the Trinity Cathedral in Monrovia, Liberia and the Christ Church in Middletown, New Jersey, United States of America. She was a member of several professional organizations including, the Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA), the Executive Board of the Associations of African Universities, the International Council on Education for Teaching and the West African Council for Teacher Education, which she served as Chairman in 1974 - 1975. Over the years, she produced a number of scholarly papers, including the "Univer- sity in Modem Africa: Toward the Twenty-first Century." (1990); The Crisis in Liberian Education" (1988); "Teacher Education for Women in Rural Development," (1987);"Mobilizing the Masses in Revolutionary Liberia for a Better Society," (1982); "Some Liberian Intellectuals in the Nineteenth Century: An Appraisal, (1975); and "Educational Aspirations in Liberia," (1969). She also wrote a book about her Mother entitled Jellemoh: A story of the Life and Times of Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh Grimes, a Liberian Wife and Mother. The book will be published later this year. In recognition of her outstanding and excellent contribution to the field of Educa- tion and to the Republic of Liberia, President William R Tolbert, Jr., conferred the distinction of Grand Band in the Order of the Star of Africa (GB-SA) in 1972. She was also honored by the American Association of University Women as a AAUW Fellow in 1963 - 1966; and by the University of Liberia students as Professor of the year in 1969. In the homegoing of Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes Brown Sherman, Liberia has lost a true nationalist who was proud of her African traditional values. In a period when Liberia preferred to be dressed in western attire, "Dean" Sherman proudly moved around the University Campus m her simple wrapper and top (known in Liberia as the lappa and bouba) and her Vai head dress (head-tie). The academic world has lost a profound and far-sighted educator, writer, and scholar. Her family has lost the key link in the family chain for unity. She leaves to mourn her loss, her only surviving brother, Joseph Rudolph Grimes, Former Secretary of State of Liberia and his wife Doris; Three brothers Louis Arthur, Jr., Ernest Marbue and Henry Grimes predeceased her. Her children Kedrick and Connie Brown, Marbue and Lena Brown, Nefertiti Louisa and Felex Meyer, Corina, Victoria, Georgia, George and Marylue Sherman; several foster children, nephews and nieces. She is also survived by 12 grandchildren, Kenrick and Ivana Brown, Baika and Nicole

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Brown, Kelia and Joshua Hadley, Tania, Joel, Kani, lemuel, Darren and Judah Brown; and five great grandchildren, Jacob and Natalie Brown, Avery Brown, Sakaia and Syr Hadley. Wake-keeping over the mortal remains of Dr. Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes Brown Sherman will take place on Friday, June 18, 2004 at Christ Church, 90 Kings High- way, Middletown, New Jersey from four o'clock post meridian to eight o'clock post meridian. On Saturday, June 19, 2004, funeral services will be held at the same venue at the hour of ten o'clock ante meridian. Interment will take place at the Bayview Cemetery in Middletown, New Jersey, United States of America. As a mark of last respect to the Late Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes Brown Sherman, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., GBSA; Former President, University of Liberia; Former Vice President for Academic Affairs; Former Dean of the William V. S. Tubman Teacher Training College, University of Liberia; Former Director, Will- iam V. S. Tubman School of Teacher Training, Liberia; patriot, scholar, academician, author, administrator and stateswoman, it is hereby ordered and directed that on the day of interment the National Ensign will be flown at half-staff from all public buildings throughout Montserrado County, Liberia, the place of her birth, from eight o'clock ante meridian to six o'clock post meridian.

BY ORDER OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL TRANSITIONAL GOVERNMENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

Thomas Y. Nimely MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS MONROVIA, LIBERIA June 16, 2004

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The University of Liberia Towards the 21st Century'

The University of Liberia, like Universities in Africa or anywhere else, justifies its existence as a University by its commitment to the search for truth and the extension of the frontiers of knowledge. This traditional role of the University naturally must be given prominence in any consideration of the Mission of the University. Another traditional function is that of the training of manpower through the various disciplines. The Liberian nation depends heavily on the University for the training of its high-level indigenous manpower. The University is committed to fulfilling this function also, guided by national needs, resources of the Institution, and acceptable standards. Beyond these, the fact that the University exists in a developing nation means that national development must be a central part of its Mission, for these are responsibilities and challenges perhaps even greater than those faced by similar institutions in developed nations. To begin with, there are many external pressures which affect the nation and, consequently, the University. A glaring example is the intellectual and cultural dominance which constantly impinge, due in some measure, to the considerable dependence on external assistance. It is the University's task to recognize this, to strive to rise above these pressures, and help the nation to do likewise. In short, the University must be a pivotal force in the push for national self-reliance. Another major concern, to use another example, is that of the generally low educational level and poor quality of life of the masses of the people of the nation. The University's task is to assist in the drive for a substantial increase in the percentage of literacy, better means of food production, and improved health care. Moreover, it must be recognized that certain developments and basic change can only be accomplished through nationals who have acquired the requisite knowledge, skills and insights. Phrased in the expression uttered by Dr. Edward W. Blyden as far back as 1862 at the ceremony inaugurating Liberia College, forerunner of the University of Liberia, the Institution is to be "a cogenerative force for the nation" which is "to send down, through all the ramification of society, the streams of wholesome and elevating influence." The University is, therefore, not only to benefit those who attend it, but those who do not, to benefit the society and the nation. Thus, a clear conceptualization of the mission of the University must be the guiding force for work at the University. Already this is the case for those at the apex of the administrative structure but this must be increasingly recognized and shared by

' By Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, President, University of Liberia.

Liberian Studies Journal, XXX, 1 (2005)

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Administrators, Faculty, and Staff at all levels of the University. By their vision, stance, and articulation, the University is more likely to be measured not merely in terms of courses offered and students taught but also, as should be, by its impact on the nation. Some of the areas of responsibility in the national development effort in broad terms are: 1. Political development, democratization, and national unity 2. A better social and economic order 3. Educational development through improvements and adaptations in the educational system 4. The integration of traditional and modern life. To accomplish the Mission as articulated, University development, including development of physical facilities, will be concentrated upon. Much has been accomplished over the last five years in the area of physical facilities, with relocation to the Fendall Campus of the College of Agriculture and Forestry and the Basic Sciences Departments of the College of Science and Technology, but emphasis will continue, with priority on academic buildings in the following order: Engineering, Medicine, and Education. Regarding other aspects of University development, the University has preserved its integrity through difficult periods, particularly over the last few years. This preser- vation must continue if the Institution is to have the continuing respect of leaders and ordinary people alike. This must be as much evident in intellectual matters as in political and social. Related are the tasks of increasing the Liberian society respect for learning, leading in innovative measures and in practical solutions to national problems, in blazing of new trails, and speaking of increasingly to ordinary people. Achievement of these depends on research, which is also essential to University development. Efforts have been made to improve the research capacity and function of the Institution through establishing four years ago of an Institute of Research. These efforts are to be extended, with greater action from the research Committees in the various Colleges, coordinated by the Institute and linked with it. Basic research will be undertaken but increasing emphasis will be put on applied research both for improving the curricular offerings and the functioning of the Univer- sity and finding solutions to national problems. With the better facilities recently completed in the Science area, those in progress in Engineering, and expected to be started soon in Medicine, and those which have been in use in Agriculture and Forestry over the last few years, it is hoped that research will become a more integral part of the programs of these areas and that there will be some breakthrough in the areas of scientific, medical, agricultural, and technological research in which there had been a lag. This should facilitate better understanding and control of our environment, better and increased food production and use of timber resources, and improvement in the lives of our people. Already, emphasis is being placed on the arranging, classifying and PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN 15

cataloguing of biological collections could attract international research teams and the natural history museum could open a new page for students and the general public. Research in the humanities and social sciences, particularly in oral History, Music, Liberian Languages and Liberian Literature will also be pushed to gain a better understanding of our cultural heritage, to improve upon it, and preserve it. Also, educational research now being spearheaded on a national basis by the Teachers College will be stimulated for improvement in curricular offerings and functioning of the school system at the various levels. Further, there will be wider dissemination of the results of research through publications and public forums, such as seminars, with the following two main targets aimed at in addition to scholars in the various disciplines: Policy makers and the ordinary people who are most likely to benefit form the research. The University has a further task in the area of publications beyond the dissemination of research findings, and that has to do with making works of Liberian authors known, for example, the valuable theses and dissertations already written and available manuscripts. The University needs to explore the possibility of a University Press in this connection as a means of stimulating and encouraging Liberian authorship. The initiation of graduate studies is another area in University development to receive increasing attention. Already, a Graduate Studies Committee has been established as a Faculty Senate Committee and the first graduate program, one leading to the Master of Science degree in Regional Planning, is to be launched as of the second semester of 1983. By the second semester of 1984, the second program should be started, one leading to the Master of Business Administration in Management. The next program is likely to be in Agronomy and thereafter, a number of other programs towards the Master's degree will be initiated. These graduate programs should strengthen the University in its research function, aid in strengthening the first-degree programs of the University, produce high-level manpower in certain specialized areas of national need through more relevant and meaningful training, and reduce the dependence on foreign institutions for such training as well as the cost thereof. Changing situations in the Colleges have led to the initiation of and planning for graduate studies programs in areas other than those stated in the Long-Range Plan, 1976-1987, and delay in those mentioned, but the guiding principles have remained and will continue to be national demand and feasibility, in particular appropriate Staff- ing, quality of the existing undergraduate offerings, and available instructional resources. Developing a community of scholars is another aspect of University development. Since 1976, there has been increasing stress on the improvement of conditions of service and use of objective measures for promotion of Faculty. This has increased the retentive power of the University, in particular with respect to Senior Faculty, both national and foreign. The emphasis will continue. Also, Senior Faculty is being

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encouraged to take advantage of sabbatical leave provisions for their own renewal and self-improvement. Meanwhile, the University's Staff Development Program, designed for Junior Staff, is providing opportunities for the training of national Faculty in considerable numbers in the various disciplines, with an increasing percentage in programs leading to terminal degrees. As those selected for study to the Master's degree under this Program usually are drawn from Teaching Assistants and administrative personnel' employed by the University, there will be closer monitoring of the work of these persons and careful evaluating. Other than University funding and the sources now utilized for Staff development, the University is taking advantage of the new opportunities being provided for Staff training through organizations to which it belongs, for example, the Association of African Universities (AAU) and the African Network of Scientific and Technological Institutions (ANSTI), especially as the letter offers through member institutions programs specifically designed for African students which include practical exposure. While efforts are being made to increase the percentage of national Faculty, everything will be done to retain the international character of the Faculty. In this respect, mainly holders of terminal degrees with specialization in areas of need are the foreign faculty to be recruited and/or offered appointments. At the heart of any University lie its students. How these students are selected for entry, what programs of training and other opportunities are provided during their University sojourn, and what provisions are made to ensure their success during their sojourn in the University are all matters for serious thinking. The objective is the total development of the student, not merely intellectual training, the University aware that the Institution is judged to a great extent by the quality of graduates produced. The following are key considerations as we work with the development of students: 1. What relationship exists between theoretical and practical training in any discipline and how best may a proper relationship be maintained? What can be done to help improve the work environment in public and private sectors of the nation so that practical experience for students can be more meaningful? 2. Given the fact that in our country and on our continent a wide gap exists between those who work essentially with their minds and those who work essentially with their hands, what exposure is needed for students to help reduce this gap? 3. What steps are to be taken to reduce the chances of students being alienated from their society?

2 The Staff Development Program began two years ago to include administrative personnel for training. This will be done increasingly. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN 17

There are increasing efforts to review curricular offerings in the various disciplines to reflect latest theoretical developments in the disciplines. Some programs already require practical experiences, as for example, student teaching in teacher education, moot court in Law, internship in Medicine, field experiences in Agriculture and For- estry, and various types of laboratory experiences in different disciplines. More practical experiences are being contemplated as requirements. For example, the College of Science and Technology is considering the possibility of making industrial experience mandatory for students of Engineering and Science. The value of this is recognized, particularly for Engineering students, and more of such provisions for "learning by doing" will be encouraged. Means the University can use for supplementing the requirements of programs of study which are being given increasing attention are: 1. Campus programs which fall into two main categories: a. Work-study programs which re-enforce the training students are receiving in particular disciplines, as for example, student assistants in laboratories and in research projects in particular disciplines; b. Work programs in which students gain experience not necessarily related to their fields of study, as for example, student assistants in the Libraries; student assistants in the resident halls; student assistants in various service areas. 2. Student initiated projects which give opportunities for experience and work related to their fields. Two examples of student organizations worth noting which handle such projects are: a. AIESEC (International Association of Students in Economics and Business Management) - Liberia, a branch of AIESEC International. This is a non-political, non-profit, and totally student-managed organization which seeks to prepare students with leadership potential through practical business experience. The students work closely with the business and economic communities to gain practical management experience to complement their Univer- sity studies. b. Agriculture Students Cooperative (A.S.C.) founded in March, 1982 and having among objectives demonstrating the principles of scientific farming and helping the University of Liberia feed itself. The Cooperative is wholly student- managed.

Most of the agricultural work is done by the students who comprise the Coop- erative, highlighting the concept of the dignity of labor. 3. Rural Services After completion of their academic work and one year internship, students of the College of Medicine are required to do one year of rural service whereever PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 18 TOWARDS THE 21ST CENTURY

they are posted by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. They receive their diplomas after satisfactory completion of the period of service. This is valuable experience for the students and a major contribution to the rural areas where doctors are scarce.

It is visualized that this idea be extended by incorporating one additional area at a time in order, given our situation, to allow for proper organization, appropriate relationships between the Governmental Ministry handling the posting of graduates and the University, as now exists with the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and adequate funding. The area which could next be considered is the College of Agriculture and Forestry. 4. Programs which can help improve the environment while providing essential experience for students. These would require innovative arrangements to make use of students for limited periods each week or during vacation periods either by organizing new programs or restructuring existing arrangements. For example, students of the Teach- ers College prior to the period required for student teaching could be used as student aids in the elementary and secondary school classrooms and on their playgrounds or in establishing a limited substitute teaching program since a substitute teaching program does not now exist in the Government schools. This would mean consultation with and cooperation with the Ministry of Edu- cation. Or, to use another example, the present cadet program where students are employed in Governmental Offices on an individual basis and without any reference to their specialization could be organized and meaningful, with benefit to the nation if there was the necessary cooperation between the Govern- mental Ministries and Agencies and the University and the students were selected through the University and in relation to their specialization. On the question of dormitories, relevant studies need to be made in view of the Liberian situation so that the life of University students in the dormitories can be reassessed, considering such questions as: 1. Are students who are accommodated in the dormitories more likely to succeed in their academic work? 2. Are students who live within communities and commute more integrated into the life of the communities and less likely to be alienated from the communities than those on the dormitories? Against this background and the cost of maintaining students on the dormitories which is far higher than most students can afford, and also in view of the financial constraints Government, the main source of funds, is facing, it would seem that the percentage of students to be provided dormitory accommodations as given in the Long- Range Plan, 1976-1987 will have to be sharply revised downward. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN 19

Further, more attention has to be given to life on the dormitories so that they might not be more residential halls but centers of learning and places where all students will have some work experiences. The entry level of students to the University is a matter of considerable concern. The University has continued to admit remedial students (pre-Freshman) although the Long-Range Plan, 1976-1987 implied phasing this out as the University would be able to fill its places for entering students with qualified candidates. Unfortunately, this has not been the case since there has been a continuing decline in performance on the University Entrance and Placement Examinations over the period 1971 to the present due to deteriorating conditions in the elementary and secondary schools, particularly since the 1980 coup d'etat. The University has, therefore, admitted yearly a reasonable percentage of students who either failed English or Mathematics for remedial studies (pre-Freshman). Despite this, it should be noted that the internal efficiency of the University improved during the period 1977 to 1982.3 At present, there is no national provision for improving the proficiencies of high school graduates who are ill-equipped for College entry or the world of work. Unless the situation is addressed, there is a wastage of manpower far greater than the country can afford and a potential threat to peaceful Government will exist. The University, with the best concentration of highlevel talent, will have to continue to address this situation to the extent feasible, its remedial program being one way. To reduce the numbers of students entering as remedial students, the University's Teachers College should attempt to implement the program proposed in the Long-Range Plan, 1976- 1987, for buttressing selected students in their final year of high school by special classes in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Science, thereby improving the proficiencies of these students by the time they complete high school. Given present Staffing in the College, this program could begin shortly with a pilot program and then be carried out in addition to programs for the in-service training of teachers in which the College normally engages and must continue to engage in. It must be noted that as certification of teachers is not in force in the country, general improvement in the performance of high school graduates, particularly from the public high schools, can not be left dependent only on improved teaching of teachers exposed to in-service courses. Various references have been made to the responsibility of the University to the Liberian society and nation. Through its Division of Continuing Education (the former Division of Extramural Studies renamed in 1982), the University will improve its public service function and all continuing education programs will be coordinated. The Division is presently responsible for the University's remedial program and vacation school program. It also provides in the evening, on a part-time basis, general

3 The relevant figures for 1983 are not yet available. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 20 TOWARDS THE 21ST CENTURY

requirements courses toward various undergraduate degrees and a two-year program in Library Science for an Associate of Arts degree. The Division needs in addition to reach out into programs of adult literacy and cooperate with the Teaching College in upgrading teachers and other educational work- ers. The concentration needs to be on short-term courses, seminars, and workshops, which are proficiency oriented, cooperating with the relevant College. Given the growing desire by people in the country for mere paper qualifications - certificates and diplomas - functional skills are to be stressed in the various programs. Such programs seem to be more urgent for raising general educational levels and much needed improvements in the functioning of the public sector. Goals for the Division as stated in the Long-Range Plan, 1976-1987 have for the most part not been achieved for various reasons. However, promises for the area are good as the University has since two years ago changed the leadership of the Division to a dynamic one and plans are afoot for securing the additional professional Staff needed for such programs as adult education. The goals of the Division are being re-examined in view of new realities. Another area, Library development, has not proceeded at the pace set forth in the Long-Range Plan, 1976-1987, due mainly to financial constraints, as there has been a decline in the University's Governmental support between 1979 and the present and the Government is the Institution's chief source of support. The University does nevertheless recognize the critical importance of the Library to the support of its programs which are being extended to include graduate programs. Within the last six months, increasing attention has been given to the Library, particularly with respect to closing the gaps in its periodicals and acquiring resources where the collections were weakest, example, Agriculture and Forestry, Medicine, and Law. Further, measures for expanding the Library and modernizing the Library will be explored, development funds being looked into for supplementing recurrent funds for Library development. Moving to administration, the task is one of coordination of efforts towards achievement of common goals; proper flow of information to allow for effective decentraliza- tion and decisionmaking; continuous self-assessment and planning for the future. This, of course, implies that the University will be staffed not merely at the top administrative level but also, at least, at key points throughout all levels with qualified individuals, who can perceive the Mission of the University as has been articulated and recognize their responsibility as support Staff Since authority can be delegated but responsibility can not, Senior Administrators must feel confident that once authority is delegated, the particular functions will be carried out. The University has begun the necessary steps to facilitate the changes needed in the administrative structure, so that it will be responsive to institutional and other needs, and have the necessary inbuilt flexibility. To begin with, the University has ridden itself to a great extent of a practice which prevails in the country and existed at the Univer- PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN 21

sity - appointment to positions without qualification for the position being speci- fied, and provision of salaries and benefits according to the position held. Taking this step has facilitated meaningful promulgation of policies of employment and promotion, salary scales, and stressing of functional skills and productivity on the job, training for these where necessary. All jobs have now been categorized and minimum qualifications set. All jobs are to be described. There is a rudimentary salary scale which attempts to relate salary to performance. Conditions of service have been considerably improved with provision of life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, pension, and medical insurance through a group plan with the American Life Insurance Company, and retirement benefits, and opportunity for Faculty/Staff Emergency Loans, at a low service charge rate. More will be done along these lines. The Personnel Office, established in the early 1970's is taking on more responsibility for the Staff and its welfare, e.g., for hiring at certain levels, promotions, salary increment, penalties, including suspension and dismissals. The Office is also preparing Manuals to keep Staff informed and provide guidelines to action, and the most recent accomplishment being a Draft of Rules and Regulations For Non-Academic Personnel which will soon be finalized and circulated. Provisions have been made, as pointed out earlier, for administrative personnel to benefit under the University's Staff Development Program. Originally, this was for training abroad of persons at the level of Assistant Director and above, but opportunities are also being provided in local institutions for a few clerical and technical Staff. Also, the University has itself run the first seminar for middle level Staff, the Teachers College, the College of Business and Public Administration, and the Division of Con- tinuing Education cooperating in this endeavor. The necessary follow-up has been made and planning for the next seminar is afoot. More emphasis will be placed on improvement of Staff through training, provisions hopefully being made even for the semi-skilled and unskilled, at least to receive some literacy training, the scarcity of appropriate skills in the administrative framework being one of its major weaknesses. Meanwhile, vacancies and new positions are being filled by better qualified individuals and appointments at the unskilled level have been frozen. This is the direction for the future. A major organ, the University Council, will continue to be strengthened so that it will be a dynamic force in administrative and fiscal matters as the other major organ, the Faculty Senate, is in academic matters. The functions of these two organs have been defined so that their terms of reference do not overlap. The University is itself strengthened through greater involvement in its operation and welfare by proper functioning of the Committees of these organs and, consequently, the organs. One of the biggest challenges facing the University is that of financing. Govern- ment, the main source of funding, is experiencing severe financial constraints and has cut back on funds to the Institutions in the period 1979 to the present. Tuition and PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 22 TOWARDS THE 21ST CENTURY

other fees which have been exceedingly low for long are far below the actual per student cost, prices having soared. Increasing tuition and fees in any substantial amount is hardly feasible both because to do so is politically explosive, in view of the Government's announcement of a "free education" policy, even though Government has not been able to back this by appropriate funding of schools at any level, and the cold reality that many students of the University are from low-income families and can not afford such fees. Nevertheless, there have been over the past three years modest increases in tuition and fees, an important source of internal funds. There will be further increases, within reasonable bounds, bearing in mind the points that have already been made. In addition, the University is extending its internal generation of funds to include: a. sources it has utilized within the recent past, e.g., interest on time deposits, coming mainly from deposits of development funds, against which obligations for services rendered are not due; b. new sources, as for example, the Alumni Association of the University4 which has been dormant for some time; grants in support of research, seminars, workshops and other purposes; and endowments, the first major endowment of $424,796.00 from the Wallenberg Foundation for Research and Development, in support of Management education, received in 1982. The University's capacity for internal generation of funds has increased. Over the past five years, the percentage of the annual budget from internal funds has gone from 3% to about 9%. It seems like the University will have to generate an increasing percentage of its annual budget. The suggestion of biennial budgeting which recurs may be possible when funding levels are more predictable, that is, when the Institution does not have to rely so heavily on Governmental funding. The University is increasing both national and international contacts. With respect to the latter, it continues to participate, with mutual benefits, in a number of organizations in which it has had membership for some time, notably the International Asso- ciation of Universities and the Association of African Universities, and the organizations for specialists in various fields which AAU has sponsored, and more recently, in the Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA). It is also increasing relations with international Agencies like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and the World Bank, and looks forward to reestablishing the close contacts it had with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Relations are being fostered also with some Ameri- can Universities, and it expects that the recently established relationship with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) will grow.

4 The Alumni Association will increasingly be expected to assume a more dynamic role in the life of the University, beyond the donation of funds. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN 23

On the national scene, it is striving to improve relations with Governmental Min- istries and Agencies. It looks forward to cooperation through the Liberian Association for Public Administration and Management with the Civil Service Agency and the Institute of Public Administration for improving the public sector. Its biggest concern is, however, the educational system and how it can lead in cooperative efforts with post-secondary institutions, in particular, but also with institutions at the various levels for development of the educational system. This has been difficult because most of the post-secondary institutions have either been established or sub- stantially funded through foreign Agencies which have staffed them with their experts who have linked them to their institutions and isolated them from the main national higher educational institution. The University sees the resulting situation of uncoordi- nated efforts a big challenge and will carefully study it in an attempt to redress same in the interest of the educational system and maximizing of scarce national resources.

University of Liberia Monrovia, Liberia August 2, 1983

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Presidential Address to the Semi-Annual Conference of the Liberian Research Association

Held April 15, 1968 At Cuttington College, Suacoco MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN*

Nine months have gone by since we assembled at the Tubman Center of African Culture in Robertsport, Cape Mount, to consider the status of scientific research in Liberia, and six months since, at the University of Liberia in Monrovia, we organized the Liberian Research Association. The coordination and promotion of research activities within the country as reflected in these efforts are indeed in a formative stage. Nevertheless, they have yielded some results. During the past few months, more than ever before, researchers within the country have had more contact with one another resulting in their being aware of researches conducted in all parts of the country. There have emerged some cooperative projects, most notable among them the ethnographic survey of southeastern Liberia which was conducted during December of 1967 to March, 1968, by a team from three institutions each in a different county of the nation the Tubman Center of African Culture, Cuttington College, and the University of Liberia. Within the same period of time, research oriented persons have become con- nected with the institutions of higher learning in increasing numbers. But, important as these gains are - and let me hasten to say that we cannot ascribe them solely to the Cape Mount Conference and the Research Organization to which it led they tend to deal almost entirely with coordinating research information and activities within the country. Other functions ascribed to the Association by its constitution, especially for example, improving research opportunities in the country, have received practically no attention. Perhaps, we need to pause to consider the challenges which face the Association and some of the means of meeting them. Let me begin with those handicaps the Association has suffered over the last few months. Hopefully these handicaps will soon be removed. I refer to nonpublication up to now of the papers from the 1967 Conferences' and the lack of Association headquarters. Regarding the former, our Information Committee has made considerable arrangements for printing through our National Government Department of Infor-

' Editor's note: These have since been published. They came out in 1969.

Liberian Studies Journal, XXX, 1 (2005)

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mation and Cultural Affairs. It should be only a matter ofweeks before the first issue of the Bulletin is released. Thereafter, it is hoped that the Bulletin will be produced at regular intervals - at least, once yearly. Regarding headquarters, it has been proposed that there should be two offices for the Association -a central one at the University of Liberia and an archiving office at Cuttington College. Unless there are counter views, formal contacts can be made with these two institutions after this meeting in the hope that these offices can be established in the near future. But, there is a major difficulty which faces the Association - that of its financing. Membership dues can contribute in a small way; hence, I feel annual dues of at least $10.00 per member should be established as of 1968. All of us will agree, however, that we must look to grants for the major portion of the Association's support. Let me propose that we begin with appeals in the following order - to large companies operating in the country, to Liberian citizens who have achieved some degree of affluence, and to the Liberian Government. I have deliberately chosen this order because it is about time that an important sector of the economy, namely the private, should be called upon to take responsibility for meeting a major need in the country - that of furthering research and learning in a substantial way. It is hardly necessary for me to point out that the large companies, practically all of which are foreign-owned and managed, have enjoyed immense benefits within this country without, for the most part, making a corresponding investment in the welfare of the nation and its people. Indeed, if we look at our neighbors on the continent, we will find that many of them, in contrast, have received support of surprising magnitude for their institutions of higher learning and their efforts to advance knowledge from foreign companies operating in their respective areas. Can this Association stimulate serious thinking among the companies operating in our midst on so, vital a question and seek action from them? These companies must also be sensitized to the fact that they themselves can benefit from research studies that might be launched. Thus, not only would the interests of the nation be served by their support of this Research Association, but theirs also. For another important source of financing, we must look to those Liberian citizens who comprise the small group which has become affluent, mainly since the boom to the Liberian economy of the 1950's. Practically all of the people who fall in this cat- egory have had the formal education in amount and quality which has provided them high earning capacity and manifold opportunities for substantial earnings. Such people owe it to the nation in which we all have a common stake to invest in the advancement of knowledge for the improvement of the physical and social environment which all of us share. How, in fact, except by deeds, can they demonstrate to the masses who have not had such opportunities their belief in the value and power of knowledge? How else can they place a premium on scholarship and learning?

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The professional class we lacked for a long time has been steadily developing during the past few years, and with it the number of Liberian scholars interested in the objective study of their society and their environment. These scholars need to be provided opportunities to concentrate their attention and effort on research. If the locus of re-search on Liberia is to be shifted more and more to Liberia, if Liberians are to have an increasing share -a substantial one - in studying themselves, Liberians who can under-take the researches and Liberians who can pay costs involved need to enter into a cooperative enterprise -a sort of self-help project. In other words, we must be doing for ourselves what we can, especially when it lies in an area of importance and urgency such as this. The venture of which I speak should, naturally, be in conjunction with the Research Association. Needless to say, appropriate response from this source would encourage our Government to offer whatever assistance it can. One other area in which Liberians can be of assistance is that of providing such resources for facilitating research as diaries, letters, and other papers of persons who have figured prominently in the life of the nation, whether these are in English, Arabic, or an indigenous language such as Vai. These valuable papers are presently lying around private homes and are now for the most part inaccessible to persons engaged in research. Donations to the Association would be welcomed. However, even if owners would not like to part with these papers, it would be helpful if they could make them available for microfilming now that Cuttington College has this service, so that copies can he provided for use in Liberia and abroad. I appeal to Liberians to assist in this way. And while on the question of materials for facilitating research, I would also like to appeal to Church Missions in Liberia, especially those which have been operating in Liberia since the nineteenth century. Their records are a valuable part of the history of this country and yet they are stored in libraries and archives in the United States, some of which are very little used. If each Mission resolved as of 1968 to see that copies of its Annual Proceedings were sent to Liberia, a start would be made towards accumulating in Liberia materials which belong here. But, thought should also be given as of now to how copies of records of these Missions stored in Libraries and archives in the United States can be made available in Liberia. No doubt, our archives will be at Cuttington College, so let me hope that the first steps in this direction will be taken by the Protes- tant Episcopal Mission. Despite the fact that it has a higher educational institution in Liberia - Cuttington College - even copies of its Annual Reports are not available here. In closing, in keeping with a decision of our Executive Committee, I wish to invite members of the Association to submit proposals for research projects they wish to under-take. These proposals will be used for making the appeals for the financial grants about which I have already spoken. It is necessary then, that the Association quickly establish research priorities and standards which can be used as guidelines for judging such proposals. In seeking financial support, the Association cannot but acknowledge the rights of would-be donors to tie their grants to projects which are of particular PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN 27

interest and might have value for themselves, but the Association must at all times be able to guarantee a setting in which investigations can be impartial and findings can be objectively analyzed.

* First husband Kedrick W. Brown died in 1962. She was remarried to G. Flamma Sherman in 1973. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 28

Barclay Women in Liberian - Two Generations:1 A Biographical Dictionary

by Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman

INTRODUCTION

This biographical dictionary brings to the forefront the second and third generations of women born into the Barclay family and women who became a part of the family by their marriage to Barclay men of these generations. Headed by the father, Anthony Barclay, also leader of the emigration, and his wife, Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay, the family of thirteen (the parents, eight daughters, and three sons), and 333 other Barbadians, emigrated from Barbados, West, Indies, in Apri1,1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865. The only emigration from the West Indies to Liberia in the nineteenth century, the 346 Barbadians were described eight years later in The African Repository as the "most intelligent and best educated of emigrants that ever came to Liberia and equally industrious." In the century and a quarter that followed, they lived up to this reputation, making significant contribution to the Liberian nation in such fields as the political, social, economic, and religious. For example, from the ranks of the Barclay family have come two Presidents of Liberia, a Chief Justice, four Secretaries of State, two Associate Justices, other officials of the Liberian Government, a number of professionals, and the wives of a number of prominent Liberian men. The dictionary carries a total of twenty-six entries - names of fourteen women born into this eminent family and twelve who joined the family through marriage, enriching the family through their notable backgrounds and their distinctive skills. It has in addition an Appendix which provides information on Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay who began the line of Barclay women in Liberia. The work builds on "A Brief Sketch of the Life of Malvina Barclay," written by her nephew, Louis Arthur Grimes, May 6, 1936, at the time of her death. It also draws from the following other sources: Herbert Brewer, "Back to Africa: The Bajan Connec-

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tion", New Bajan, February, 1992; "List of Emigrants By the Brig Cory For Liberia From Barbados, WI, April 6, 1865", The African Repository, August, 1865, pages 236- 242; the University of Liberia Register of Graduates, Centennial Issue, Monrovia, 1962; D. Elwood Dunn and Svend E. Holsoe, Historical Dictionary of Liberia, Historical Dictionaries, No. 38, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Metuchen, NJ & London, 1985; Harriette G. Brittan, Scenes and Incidents of Everyday Lift in Africa. Pudney & Russell, Publishers, New York, 1860; William H. Heard, The Bright Side of African Lift, originally published in 1898 by A.M.E. Publishing House, Reprinted in 1969 by Negro Universities Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, Connecticut, a Division of Green- wood Publishing Group, Inc.; Nathaniel R. Richardson, Liberia's Past and Present, The Diplomatic Press and Publishing Company (DIPREPU Co. Ltd.), 13, Cotswold Gar- dens, London, N.W.2,1959; George Arthur Padmore, The Memoirs of a Liberian Ambassador, George Arthur Padmore, The Edwin Melle Press, Lewiston, New York, and Queenston, Ontario, Canada, 1996; and Aren Ramirez, "Mi Familia ", unpublished, 1997. In addition, information has been obtained through questionnaires sent out and interviews with Florence Morgan Williams, Florence Sherman Peal, Anna Lucretia Sherman Richards, and other Barclay women in the fourth generation, and Louis Russ, a Barclay male relative also in the fourth generation; Rhoda Manly Morgan, the sole survivor of the women who married into the family, and the following relatives of these women: William Davis, Susan Cooper, Osborne Diggs, Edwina Coleman, Mary Marshall, Euphemia Reeves; also a friend of one of the women, Elizabeth P. Roberts. The importance of biography to understanding and appreciating the Liberian nation and its people has been overlooked for the most part. One result has been very little biographical material on Liberians. On women, especially, there is a dearth of such information. The dictionary is thus more than family history. It is Liberian social history as well, and should contribute in a meaningful way to closing a big information gap.

Generation Two of Barclay Women in Liberia

Barclays Antoinette Hope Daughter of Anthony Barclay and Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay. The first of twelve children, eleven of whom emigrated from Barbados, with their parents, in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865.2 Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, June 11, 1836. Grew up and was educated in Bridgetown, Barbados. Age twenty-eight and a School Mistress at the time of emigration, she continued to work in education in Liberia. Never married. Had no children. She, however, had a great influence on her younger siblings. She also had a strong impact on her nephews and nieces. She taught those nieces and nephews living in the Monrovia area through elementary school in a private school which she ran. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, January 8, 1909. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 30 BARCLAY WOMEN IN LIBERIA - TWO GENERATIONS

Barclay Ella Mai Gilbert, (Mrs. Henry Waldron Grimes) Daughter of Anthony Barclay and Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay. The last of twelve children, eleven of whom emigrated from Barbados, with their parents, in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865.3 Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, May 23, 1856. Educated in Bridgetown, Barbados, and in Monrovia, Liberia. Spent the first eight years of her life growing up in Bridgetown, Barbados, and from then to adulthood in Monrovia, Liberia. Married Henry Waldron Grimes in Monrovia, Liberia, January 29, 1883, a union which lasted until he predeceased her June 4, 1894. Children 2 (1 boy,

Louis Arthur and 1 girl, Florence Mai Isabel); also 1 foster son, Frank Tarr Grimes. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, May 11, 1934.

Barclay Elizabeth Ann Daughter of Anthony Barclay and Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay. The third of twelve children, eleven of whom emigrated from Barbados, with their parents, in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865.4 Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, May 6, 1839. Grew up in Bridgetown, Barbados; educated in Bridgetown, Barbados. Was nearly twenty- five years of age and a school teacher at the time of emigration. Never married. Had no children. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, September 5, 1865, almost four months after the family arrived in Liberia.

Barclay Florence Emiline Daughter of Anthony Barclay and Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay. The eleventh of twelve children, eleven of whom emigrated from Barbados, with their parents, in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865.5 A twin, the other child her brother, Arthur Barclay, she was born in Bridgetown, Barbados, July 31, 1854. Grew up and was educated in Bridgetown, Barbados, up to age ten, and thereafter in Monrovia, Liberia. Never married. Had no children. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, May 7, 1905.

Barclay Laura Ann, (Mrs. Alford Morgan) Daughter of Anthony Barclay and Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay. The ninth of twelve children, eleven of whom emigrated from Barbados, with their parents, in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865.6 Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, January 5, 1852. Grew up through childhood years in Bridgetown, Barbados, and teenage years to adulthood in Monrovia, Liberia. Educated in Bridgetown, Barbados, and in Monrovia, Liberia. Married Alford Morgan in Monrovia, Liberia, December 30, 1878. Sometime thereafter, moved with him to Grand Bassa, Liberia. Children 3 ( 2 girls, Frances Alice

Hope and Emma Alberta, and 1 boy, Edwin Alford). Taught her three children and her niece, Georgia Ann Barclay, whom she reared, through elementary and high school. Died in Grand Bassa, Liberia, April 13, 1925.

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Barclays Malvin Daughter of Anthony Barclay and Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay. The fourth of twelve children, eleven of whom emigrated from Barbados, with their parents, in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865.7 Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, August 31, 1840. Grew up in Bridgetown, Barbados; educated in Bridgetown, Barbados. Was twenty- four years of age and a Fancy Worker at the time of emigration. Never married. Had no children. She, however, contributed a lot to the upbringing of the four youngest of her eleven siblings - Laura Ann, Florence Emiline, Arthur, and Ella Mai Gilbert and also had a strong influence on the lives of her nephews and her nieces. She lived the longest of the children of her parents and was for a number of years at the center of the Barclay family. In her Life Sketch written at the time of her death by her nephew, Louis Arthur Grimes, she was described by him as "an ideal housewife, pastry cook, fine needleworker, and disciplinarian..." Died in Monrovia, Liberia, May 6, 1936, the ninety-seventh anniversary of the birth of her younger sister, Elizabeth Ann.

Barclays Mary Augusta, (Mrs. Samuel S. Herring) Daughter of Anthony Barclay and Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay. The second of twelve children, eleven of whom emigrated from Barbados, with their parents, in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865.8 Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, August 11, 1837. Grew up in Bridgetown, Barbados; educated in Bridgetown, Barbados. Was twenty- seven years of age and a Confectioner at the time of emigration. Married Samuel S. Herring in Grand Bassa, Liberia, 1887. Had no children. Died in Grand Bassa, Liberia, September 24, 1898.

Barclays Sarah Helena, (Mrs. Joseph J. Blyden) Daughter of Anthony Barclay and Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay. The sixth of twelve children, eleven of whom emigrated from Barbados, with their parents, in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865.9 Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, August 21, 1844. Grew up in Bridgetown, Barbados; educated in Bridgetown, Barbados. Was twenty years of age and a Music teacher at the time of emigration. Married Joseph J. Blyden at Grand Bassa, Liberia, May 17, 1873. Had no children. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, May 22,1902.

Cooper, Sarah Elizabeth Braxton, (Mrs. Arthur Barclay) Daughter of Carter Braxton and Adeline Braxton. Born in Monrovia, Liberia, August 6, 1869. Married Jessie R. Cooper at the age of twenty-one. The fourth wife of Arthur Barclay. She married him on the death of her first husband, Jessie R. Cooper, and after the death of his third wife, Florence Alice Lane Cooper King. Their union lasted until his death, July 10, 1938. All of her children were for her first husband, Jessie R. Cooper - 4 (1 boy, Henry, and three girls, Adeline, Anna, and Magdalene); she also had one stepson, Charles Cooper. She was a leader in the Pentecostal Church in PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 32 BARCLAY WOMEN IN LIBERIA - TWO GENERATIONS

Liberia. An ardent worker for this Church, she provided accommodations in Monrovia for their missionaries, who were based outside of Monrovia, and played a leading role in building a modern concrete structure on Front Street, Monrovia, for the Church, to replace the old structure which they were using for worship. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, September, 1955.

King, Florence Alice Lane Cooper (Mrs. Arthur Barclay) The third wife of Arthur Barclay and his wife throughout his years as President of Liberia, 1904-1912. She married him in 1903 on the death of her second husband, Senator Alfred B. King, and after the death of Barclay's second wife, Jane Euphemia Seton Davis Barclay. Her first husband was Samuel Ford Cooper, for whom she bore the only child she had -a son, whose name was John W. Cooper. After her husband's death, she married Alfred B. King, a leading politician who served as Senator from Montserrado County from 1892-1901. He predeceased her December 12, 1901. While married to King, they resided in Clay-Ashland, St. Paul River. At the time, she was regarded as one of the leading teachers on the St. Paul River and a prominent citizen. William H. Heard in his book, The Bright Side ofAfrican Life, described her as "com- panionable, intelligent, industrious, and a lover of race." She was known in Liberia as a powerful and influential woman an asset to Arthur Barclay in the election cam- paign of 1903 for his bid to the Presidency of the nation. She died in Monrovia, Liberia, several years after Barclay's presidency ended.

Lomax, Jane Euphemia Seton Davis (Mrs. Arthur Barclay) Daughter of Samuel W. Tobe Kade Seton and Harriet Vaughan Seton, both of the Grebo ethnic group. The second wife of. Arthur Barclay. Born in Cape Palmas, Liberia. Educated in Cape Palmas, Liberia, and Freetown, Sierra Leone. Graduate of the Annie Walsh Girls' School, Freetown, Sierra Leone. Married Wiliam McCall Davis in 1882.10 He predeceased her February 17, 1892. Children from this union -3 (2 boys, Will- iam and Alfred and 1 girl, Euphemia Mary). Married after the death of Davis to Col. Thomas C. Lomax who also predeceased her. Children from this union - 1 (1 boy, Thomas C. Lomax, Jr.). Married after the death of Lomax to Arthur Barclay. No children from this union. Died in Monrovia, Liberia.

Marshall, Mary Louise (Mrs. Arthur Barclay) Daughter of John Francis Marshall, one of the 346 persons who emigrated from Barbados, West Indies, in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865, and his first wife. Born in Barbados, West Indies. Spent early years growing up in Barbados. Emi- grated from Barbados to Liberia. The first wife of Arthur Barclay and the only wife who bore children for him. Children -4 (2 boys, Anthony and Gerald and 2 girls, Sarah Elizabeth and Mary Louise). Died in Monrovia, Liberia.

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Generation Three of Barclay Women in Liberia

Bare.* Georgia Ann Daughter of Anthony Barclay II, the fifth of the twelve children of Anthony Barclay and Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay, eleven of whom emigrated from Barbados, with their parents in April, 1865, and arrived in Liberia May, 1865." No information available on her mother. Born probably in Schiefflin, Liberia. Reared in Grand Bassa, Liberia, by her aunt, Laura Ann Morgan, and her husband, Alford Morgan. Taught through high school by her aunt, Laura Ann Morgan, along with her aunt's three children, Frances Alice Hope, Emma Alberta, and Edwin Alford. Moved to Monrovia, Liberia, at the age of eighteen or nineteen to attend Liberia College, but did not enter. Never married. Had no children, but fostered several children. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, October, 1971.

Barclays Mary Louise (Mrs. James Stanley Padmore) Daughter of Arthur Barclay and Mary Marshall Barclay, both of West Indian descent. Born in Monrovia, Liberia. Grew up in Monrovia. Educated in Monrovia; taught by her aunt, Antoinette Hope Barclay. Married James Stanley Padmore. Chil- dren -2 (1 girl, Antoinette Louise, and 1 boy, George Arthur). Died in 1919 of the influenza plague which engulfed the world at the close of World War I.

Barclays Sarah Elizabeth (Mrs. Reginald A. Sherman) Daughter of Arthur Barclay and Mary Marshall Barclay, both of West Indian descent Born in Monrovia, Liberia. Grew up in Monrovia. Educated in Monrovia; taught by her aunt, Antoinette Hope Barclay. Married Reginald A. Sherman and moved with him to Robertsport, Cape Mount, Liberia. Children, 4 (2 boys, Arthur and Reginald and 2 girls, Florence and Anna Lucretia). Died in March, 1927.

Cheeseman, Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh (Mrs. Louis Arthur Grimes) Daughter of Ambollai Fahnbulleh and Jarsie Fahnbulleh of the Vai ethnic group. Foster daughter of Joseph James Cheeseman and Mary Ann Crusoe Cheeseman, both of America-Liberian descent. Born in Jondu, Cape Mount, Liberia, February, 1889. Spent first six years of her life in Jondu; seventh year in Monrovia in the Executive Mansion with her foster parents, President and Mrs. Cheeseman. Grew up from eight years old in Edina, Grand Bassa, Liberia, with her foster mother, Mrs. Cheeseman, in the wake of the death of President Cheeseman on November 12, 1896. Attended Brierly Memorial in Harper, Cape Palmas, Liberia. Married Louis Arthur Grimes in Edina, Grand Bassa, December 11, 1911, and moved with him to Monrovia. The marriage lasted until he predeceased her December 14, 1948. Children - 5 (4 boys, Louis Arthur, Henry Waldron, Joseph Rudolph, and Ernest Marbue, and 1 girl, Mary

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Antoinette Hope. Reared first grandchild, James Rudolph Grimes, and fostered 20 children, 11 boys and 9 girls. Her Christian faith was strong and she was active in the Episcopal Church (Trinity) from the time of her marriage until the final years of her life. She was also active in the Eastern Star, a sister organization of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and in community service organizations such as the Antoinette Tubman Children's Welfare Foundation and the Y.W.C.A. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, April 19, 1970.

Crayton, Harriet Lylian (Mrs. Edwin A. Morgan) Daughter of Lylian Davis Crayton and her husband. Born in Sinoe, Liberia, August 19, 1913. Grew up and was educated in Grand Bassa, Liberia. Attended Hartzell Academy, later renamed Bassa High School. The second wife of Edwin A. Morgan. He married her after his divorce to Sarah Woods Morgan. Children from the union - 1 girl, Laura Allen. The marriage ended in divorce in 1955. She died in 1991, during the Civil War in Liberia, at LAMCO Hospital, Buchanan, Grand Bassa, Liberia.

Davis, Euphemia Mat), (Mrs. Edwin James Barclay) Daughter of William McCall Davis of Americo-Liberian descent and Jane Seton Davis of the Grebo ethnic group. Born in Monrovia, Liberia, July 19, 1884. Grew up and was educated in Monrovia. Graduated in 1905 with the Bachelor of Arts degree from Liberia College (now University of Liberia). This was the first class in the history of the institution to graduate girls -4 girls out of a total of 11 persons. Married Edwin James Barclay in Monrovia July 18, 1906. During much of the marriage, her husband was in significant positions in the Liberian Government, among them, Secre- tary of State, 1920-1930, and President of the nation, 1930-1944. Thus, she was in the limelight of the nation for more than two decades. Their union lasted until his death, November 6, 1955. Had no children but fostered a number of children. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, January 15, 1967.

Diggs, Etmonia, (Mrs. Anthony Barclays III) Daughter of William Henry Diggs and Sarah Worrell Diggs. Born April 7, 1906, in Monrovia, Liberia. The third wife of Anthony Barclay, III. He married her in 1939 after his divorce to Cecelia Phelps Barclay, and their union lasted until his death. She grew up in Monrovia and attended the College of West Africa up to grade eleven. She had no children but reared two stepsons, Anthony Barclay, IV, and Emmanuel Barclay, and also fostered a number of children, among them Osborne Diggs and several other close relatives of hers. A nurse, she served a number of years at the Liberian Govern- ment Hospital in Monrovia (forerunner of the J.F.K. Medical Center). She was also a humanitarian, founding with her husband the Barclay Mission School which contributed to the free education of many children. She died in Paynesville, Liberia, February 2, 1969. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN 35

Grimes, Florence Mai Isabel (Mrs. Richard Stanley Wiles) Daughter of Henry Waldron Grimes and Ella Mai Gilbert Barclay Grimes, both of West Indian descent. Born in Monrovia, Liberia, March 16, 1885. Grew up and educated in Monrovia. Graduated in 1905 with the Bachelor of Arts degree from Liberia College (now University of Liberia). This was the first class in the history of the institution to graduate girls -4 girls out of a total of 11 persons. Married Richard Stanley Wiles in Monrovia August 7, 1907, a union which lasted until her death. Children - 8 (7 of her own plus 1 of her husband taken as her own; 4 girls (Florence Lducia, Ella, Irene, Mai, and 4 boys, Stanley, Reid Page, Richard Jones, and Louis). Also fostered a number of children. Active in Church. In the mid 1950s, she became President of what was at the time called the General Auxiliary, the organization of women of the then Episcopal Diocese of Liberia, now Episcopal Church of Liberia. She was also active in the Eastern Star, the sister organization of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, November 26, 1962.

Manlfi Rhoda (Mrs. Edwin A. Morgan) Daughter of Edward Manly and Etta Jolly Manly. The third wife of Edwin A. Morgan. Born in Lower Buchanan, Grand Bassa, Liberia, May 15, 1927. Received elementary education at Suehn Mission; high school education in the then Prepara- tory Department of Liberia College. She also did two years of collegiate studies at Liberia College (now University of Liberia). Married Edwin A. Morgan May 19, 1956, after his divorce to Harriet Lylian Morgan. The marriage lasted until his death in

October, 1959. Children from this union, 3 (2 boys, Roland, and Edwin, and 1 girl, Marie). Also reared 3 girls Henrietta Page, Julia Moore, and Doris Yukoyu. Housewife. Also managed the family farm in Owensgrove, Grand Bassa, Liberia.

Morgan, Emma Alberta (Mrs. Zacharia Birch Russ) Daughter of Alford Morgan and Laura Ann Barclay Morgan. Born in Edina, Grand Bassa County, Liberia, in 1887. Grew up in Grand Bassa County. Was taught through high school with her siblings, Frances Alice Hope and Edwin Alford, and her first cousin, Georgia Ann Barclay, by her mother, Laura Ann Barclay Morgan. Married Zacharia Birch Russ in Lower Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, in 1907. Children from this union, two sons, Alford Cornelius and Zacharia Roberts Russ. Also fostered a number of children. Housewife. Died in Greenville, Sinoe County; Liberia, in 1923 at a relatively young age, when her older son, Alford, was fifteen years old, and her younger son, Zacharia, ten years old.

Morgan, Frances Alice Hope (Mrs. Joshua Davis) Daughter of Alford Morgan and Laura Ann Barclay Morgan. Born in Grand Bassa County, Liberia. Grew up in Grand Bassa County. Was taught through high school with her siblings, Emma Alberta and Edwin Alford, and her first cousin, Georgia Ann PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 36 BARCLAY WOMEN IN LIBERIA - TWO GENERATIONS

Barclay, by her mother, Laura Ann Barclay Morgan. Married Rev. Joshua Davis, a clergyman in the Episcopal Church. Children, 6 or 7, all of whom died in infancy except one son, Warrick, who died around age twenty-two, also predeceasing her. Taught in schools in Buchanan, Grand Bassa, Liberia. Succeeded Professor Dayrell in the 1930s as Principal of Hartzell Academy, later renamed Bassa High School, and served in this position until 1942. Died in Grand Bassa, Liberia.

Phelps, Cecelia (Mrs. Anthony Barclays III) The second wife of Anthony Barclay, III. He married her after his divorce to Sarah Raynes Barclay. This union also ended in divorce.

Raynes, Sarah (Mrs. Anthony Barclays III) Daughter of Samuel Raynes and Eliza Fuller Raynes. Born in Greenville, Sinoe County, Liberia, October 15, 1895. Grew up in Greenville and Monrovia. Educated in Monrovia. Married Anthony Barclay April 17, 1917. Children from this union 3 (all girls, Malvina, Elizabeth, and Mary). Also fostered a number of children. The union with Anthony Barclay, III, was dissolved by divorce. She subsequently married Sir Harold Fredericks. A successful business woman for many years. Died in Monrovia, Liberia, January 16, 1992.

Woods, Sarah Euphemia (Mrs. Edwin A. Morgan) Daughter of E. Tyson Woods and Maria Liberty Woods. The first wife of Edwin A. Morgan. Born July 21, 1895 in Harper, Cape Palmas, Liberia. Began growing up in Harper. On the death of her father, her uncle, Stephen Liberty, father of Maggie Dingwall, went for the family and moved them to Edina, Grand Bassa, Liberia. She was then about eight or nine years old. Spent some time there and moved to Monrovia, Liberia, to continue school. Attended Bromley Mission, St. Paul River, Clay-Ashland, Liberia, during which period she spent her vacations in Monrovia with Mrs. Lucretia Johnson, a relative. From the union with Edwin A. Morgan, five children were born - (3 girls, Frances, Christine, and Florence, and 2 boys, Lawrence and Edwin). This union ended in a divorce. She died in Lower Buchanan, Grand Bassa, January 21, 1941.

Notes

1. The two generations have a total of twenty-six women, fourteen of them of consanguineous relationship: Antoinette Hope Barclay, Ella Mai Gilbert Barclay (Mrs. Henry Waldron Grimes), Elizabeth Ann Barclay, Florence Emiline Barclay, Georgia Ann Barclay, Laura Ann Barclay (Mrs. Alford Mor- gan), Malvina Barclay, Mary Louise Barclay (Mrs. James Stanley Padmore), Mary Augustus Barclay (Mrs. Samuel S. Herring), Sarah Elizabeth Barclay (Mrs. Reginald A. Sherman), Sarah Helena Barclay (Mrs. Joseph J. Blyden), Florence Mai Isabel Grimes (Mrs. Richard Stanley Wiles), Emma Alberta Morgan (Mrs. Zacharia Birch Russ), and Frances Alice Hope Morgan (Mrs. Joshua Davis). PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor MARY ANTOINETTE BROWN SHERMAN 37

There are twelve women related by affinity: Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh Cheeseman (Mrs. Louis Arthur Grimes), Sarah Elizabeth Braxton Cooper (Mrs. Arthur Barclay), Harriet Lylian Crayton (Mrs. Edwin A. Morgan), Euphemia Mary Davis (Mrs. Edwin James Barclay), Etmonia Diggs (Mrs. Anthony Barclay, III), Florence Alice Lane Cooper King (Mrs. Arthur Barclay), Jane Euphemia Seton Davis Lomax (Mrs. Arthur Barclay), Rhoda Manly (Mrs. Edwin A. Morgan), Mary Louise Marshall (Mrs. Arthur Barclay), Cecelia Phelps (Mrs. Anthony Barclay, III), Sarah Raynes (Mrs. Anthony Barclay, III), and Sarah Euphemia Woods (Mrs. Edwin A. Morgan).

2. One sibling, Gerald, died at age four, about ten years before the family left Barbados for Liberia.

3. Ibid.

4. Ibid.

5. Ibid.

6. Ibid.

7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. Ibid.

10. This marriage was recorded in The African Repository as the "first marriage of a prominent and influential America-Liberian with an Aborigines." (1882, p.63) Davis' political and social standing and the influence and standing of Jane's father, Sewn, in the Grebo community and among the settlers, resulting from his efforts to bring the two groups together and secure basic rights for the Greboes, his ethnic group, from the Liberian Government, may have prompted this.

11. See note 2.

Appendix

On Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay Who Began the Line of Barclay Women in Liberia

Sarah Ann Bourne Barclay was born in Barbados, West Indies, in 1816. She married Anthony Barclay in Bridgetown, Barbados, in 1835. Children - 12 (4 boys, 8 girls). Emigrated from Barbados in April, 1865 and arrived in Liberia May, 1865, with her husband and eleven of their twelve children, Samuel Gerald - one of four sons and their eighth child - having died at age four, about ten years before the family left the West Indies for Liberia. Their third child, a daughter, Elizabeth Ann, died in

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Monrovia, Liberia, September 5, 1865, almost four months after the family arrived in Liberia. Within another four months, on January 16, 1866, the family had another loss - her husband, who had led the emigrants to Liberia. He died at the age of 56, less than one year after their arrival in Liberia. She was thus left the responsibility for their ten surviving children, five of whom were minors. She was also thrust into the role of leader for more than three hundred other emigrants who her husband had led to Liberia. It is a tribute to her that she successfully filled these roles. Her children achieved remarkable success in their adopted home and the emigrants as a whole made outstanding contribution to the Liberian nation. She died in Monrovia, Liberia, July 3, 1895, at the age of seventy-nine, a little over a year after she lost in Apri1,1894, her two oldest sons, Ernest James Barclay and Anthony Barclay, II, one week apart.

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A Tribute to Dr. Mary Antoinette Grimes Brown Sherman

by A. Romeo Horton

Dr. Mary Antoinette Grimes Brown Sherman was my classmate at the college of West Africa in Monrovia, Liberia. We graduated together in the Class of 1943. She was the Dux of our class (classmates, please stand!). The Louis Arthur Grimes family became "good friends" of my parents when they first arrived in Liberia as Baptist missionaries in 1918, I first met my long-time friend Rudolph Grimes while we were both in our mothers' wombs. Both families lived on Broad Street in Monrovia. My mother told me that she was pregnant with me at the same time Mrs. Grimes was carrying Rudolph. They did their maternity walks each evening around the same time; mama walking towards Snapper Hill and Mrs. Victoria Grimes walking towards Crown Hill. They would meet from time to time at the comer of Broad Street and either Center or Gurely or Randall Street and chat for a while; then one of them would go a short distance with the other before they parted for their respective homes. If Rudolph and I are the same age, then why was it that Mary Antoinette was my classmate when she was younger than her brother Rudolph and me? My dad took me out of school for two years to help open his Cinta Rubber Farm. Also, Mary Antoinette and her brothers - Henry, Rudolph, and Marbue Grimes - were all very clever students. Mary Antoinette surpassed her classmates in every subject; she studied hard, but she could also laugh, joke and play. She was serious, but was also friendly. She was always properly dressed, but was not a show-off. She maintained the dignity of a Chief Justice's daughter, but with respect and profound humility. I always admired, respected and loved her as a real Child of God. She combined brilliance, dignity and charm magnificently. After graduating from the College of West Africa (a high school) Mary Antoinette matriculated to Liberia College (I went to Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, USA). After graduating from Liberia College she attended Radcliffe College in Massa- chusetts. She obtained her Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) from Cornell University in the State of New York. She returned to her native land, her country, the land of her birth, which she LOVED - LIBERIA. She committed herself, in my observation, almost entirely to the education of Liberian youths.

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She was one of the founders, an avid promoter, the key organizer, and one of the first professors of the William V.S. Tubman Teachers College. It was established shortly before the University of Liberia was formed. She dedicated her life and professional training and capability seemingly to building a great university of Liberia. She excelled from full professor to Dean ofTeachers College, to Vice President for Academic Affairs to President of the University of Liberia. She worked for the University of Liberia - her pride, joy, and at last her greatest disappointment. She devoted all her life, energies, skills and talents, which were abundantly excellent, and which were also superior, to that institution.. I imagine she may have died broken hearted each times she reflected on the condition and present state of the University of Liberia, which she loved so very dearly. Dr. Mary Antoinette Grimes Brown Sherman was a good friend and a collaborator of my sainted mother, Mrs. Ora Milner Horton, in nurturing the National Teachers Association and making it an effective, progressive and powerful organization for teachers, for defending and advocating teachers rights and best interests. They succeeded and much praise and thanks go to Dr. Sherman. J. Rudolph, my heart goes out to you as my dear and close friend and brother in the Liberian Christian tradition. It is just you now, but you are a man of true faith in God, a man of great strength inherited from your outstanding parents, who were Christian people. You are the Big Uncle now, and I am still, and always will be your friend from boyhood, even childhood. Oh, "KB" and Marbue, what a loss! But how blessed you have been to have a mother like Mary Antoinette Grimes Brown Sherman. And to have her with you until you are both grown, accomplished young men with beautiful loving families. Praise God! Fret not for losing your mother, whom you loved so dearly and who loved you as only a mother like her could. But, rejoice that God gave you such a mother as Mary Antoinette, who after your distinguished father died, raised the two of you to be the qualified, able gentlemen you are. You are an off-spring of a great family background on both mother and father's sides. You could not help but be brilliant, good Christians, prepared for service to Liberia. It is in your blood. It is your inheritance from your mother and father. It is your blessing. Continue to develop your gifts from God through your parents for the betterment of Liberia. You have West Indian, Via, Bassa, American blood and traditions mixed, which spells Liberian. You are rich and you are abundantly blessed. I am blessed to have known Mary Antoinette Grimes Brown Sherman and to know you Kedrick and you Marbue. May God Almighty continue to bless both of you and your beautiful promising families.

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A Tribute to Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman: A Scholar, Devoted Educator, a Mentor to Many, Beacon to the Youth, a Source of Strength and a Dear Friend

by Bertha Baker Azango

It is sometimes difficult to write objectively about a person you have known closely and admired fondly over 60 years. I can assure you, however, that this tribute is impartial and is based on facts and personal experience rather than sentiment. Mary Antoinette and I met for the first time in February 1944 as freshman students in Liberia College (now the University of Liberia). She came as head of her class from the College of West Africa in Monrovia and I as the head of mine from the Episcopal High School in Cape Mount. There were two other valedictorians in the class: John Dominique Bing from St. Patrick's High School in Monrovia and Arthur Namuh Manly from the preparatory division of Liberia College. In all, there were 15 freshmen. This was the largest class the college had admitted up to that time. Mary was not only a bright student; she was friendly, considerate, kind and always ready to give a helping hand. We often studied together in order to keep ahead of the boys. The College offered only a liberal arts degree and students were required to take all courses. Once our English teacher, Prof J.W.A. Richard, asked each of us what we wanted to become in life. I had not thought about a career and sat mesmerized. Mary poked me in the side and suggested education. As far as I knew, education meant teaching and I didn't want to become a teacher; which at the time,. with nursing, seemed to be the only profession for women. However, I reluctantly replied "education" so as not to hold up the class. It was not until I entered graduate school at Boston University in the United States did I realize that there were several career options in the education field. Consequently, in addition to anthropology, which I had already regis- tered as major, I concentrated on career guidance and testing in order to assist Liberian students analyze their abilities and map their careers, thus save time and prevent costly errors others and I had experienced. After Mary Antoinette graduated from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, MA, she returned to Liberia and became an instructor in the W.V.S. Tubman School of Teacher Training. We kept up regular correspondence. She told me about developments in Liberia and the difficulty she had with Dr. A. Doris Banks-Henries who was head of the teacher training school. Dr. Henries had been one of our instructors in Liberia College and knew Mary's ability. Mary felt that Dr. Henries saw her as a threat and tried to put obstacles in her way. However, she was not deterred because she saw the

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education of Liberian youth as a significant step to national development and the training of teachers as a fundamental means of achieving that objective. When Teach- ers College was incorporated into the University of Liberia in the 1950s, Dr. Henries was promoted to deanship of the University and Mary Antoinette became Director of Teachers College. She served in this capacity for 15 years, 1960-1975. I returned to Liberia in 1953 and was assigned to the Department of Public Instruction as Director of Guidance and Testing. When I told Mary about my interest in developing a program to help high school students analyze their capabilities and structure their career goals, she not only encouraged me, but suggested that this could best be achieved by incorporating the concept in the teacher training program. To this end, I taught part-time in the college for a few years. Mary Antoinette's aspiration for education in Liberia was broader and more comprehensive than being head of Teachers College. In the early 1970s during one of our many discussions on problems in the education system and possible solutions, I expressed concern about the over age problem at the elementary level, where teenag- ers and older students who began school for the first time, were placed in the same classroom with younger pupils. This did not only cause behavioral problems, but also resulted in high dropout rate at this level and the inability of many capable students from achieving their potential. Mary was very excited about finding a solution to this hurdle and suggested that we develop a research project. We invited an American lady educator in the education division of The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to join us. We called the project, Accelerated Curriculum Experiment (ACE). Six schools were selected in Bong and Nimba counties. Teachers were trained in how to teach the essentials of the basic subjects and to identify over age students in their schools. When the students demonstrated through assessment that they had mastered these essentials, they would be moved to the next level and hopefully complete the 6-year curriculum in 3-4 years. The Ministry of Education and Teachers College developed the special curriculum. Teachers College trained the teachers and provided supervision. The Ministry and USAID provided logistical and financial support. None of these agencies fully carried out their expected responsibility and the project was regrettably terminated. As professionals and friends, did Mary Antoinette and I ever have serious disagree- ments? Yes, but nothing that affected our relationship. An incident I remember hap- pened in the early 1960s over a proposal to change the school year. Prof. Nathaniel V. Massaquoi, then Secretary of Public Instruction, received approval from President WVS Tubman to change the school year from March-November to September-May. The recommendation was based on the following premises: (1) the three-month vacation would be shifted from the dry season (December-February) to the rainy season (June-August) when the rivers and creeks were over flooded, causing increased absenteeism in the schools. (2) Children in rural areas would be more helpful to their parents on the farms during the dry season with planting and harvesting crops.

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(3) Liberia's association with the West African Examinations Council started in the 1960s. Because the school calendar of our former British colonies, was the same as the international school calendar (September-May), the change would enable closer collaboration and exchange of curriculum, teachers and students. The opponents of the change argued that; (1) Liberia had always been unique in its historical and social development, consequently, adopting the international school calendar would be contrary to Liberia's uniqueness. (2) Maintaining the long vacation in the dry season was appropriate for students who depended on vacation jobs for their upkeep and tuition. Mary was in this camp. The change was put in effect but within that school year Dr. John P. Mitchell, Under Secretary of Education for UNESCO, replaced Prof Massaquoi as Secretary of Public Instruction. Mitchell, who was an adversary of Massaquoi, vowed to undo his achievements. Thus, the issue became a hot political controversy in the community. Mitchell recommended to President Tubman a reversal of not only the school year, but also the 6-3-3 system which had been in effect four or five years. As an astute politician, Presi- dent Tubman ordered a return to the original school year but rejected change of the school system. I understand that after 30 years and the death of many of the major players in the drama, the school year was again changed to conform to the international school calendar under the first female Minister of Education, Dr. Evelyn Kandakai. The final incident I would like to recall is intended to illustrate Mary Antoinette's committed outreach to strengthen education in Liberia. She was determined to use experienced and qualified scholars on the University of Liberia faculty, especially those familiar with the Liberian environment. It is unfortunate that I was involved in this episode, but as indicated at the beginning, this tribute is based on personal experience. After the 1980 military coup, when the government of Liberia was taken over by the People's Redemption Council (PRC) and Master Stg. Samuel K. Doe was installed as head of state, my 27 years of service in the Ministry of Education was abruptly terminated. I was then Deputy Minister of Education for Planning and Development. Completely devastated, I went to the University to consult Mary as a dear friend. She was President of the University at the time and out of the country. I related the problem to Dr. Patrick Seyon, Vice President of the University for Administration, whom I had known when he a was student at UL, hoping to get a word of comfort. What I got instead was the shock of my life. He said (in effect) "You people think that the University is a dumping ground for officials rejected from the public service? I know Mary is your friend, but I am going to fight your employment at the University". He cited the earlier employment of Dr. Augustus E Caine, former Minister of Education as professor of sociology in the College of Arts and Humanities and Prof. Henry Yaidoo, former Deputy Minister of Planning and Economic Affairs in the College of Business and Public Administration. Both of these former officials have degrees in their respective fields. I was surprise to see the narrow mindedness and short-sighted attitude of Dr. Seyon. It reminded me of the slogan, repeated by market women and people with

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limited vision after the coup, "this is we time". They placed individual and ethnic loy- alty above national interests, which proved unfortunate. The attitude of 'them vs us' was diametrically opposed to Mary's concept of national development. She knew that people with practical experience in government, business, foreign service, etc make more effective college instructors than Ph.D.s without hands-on practical experience. Even as Dean of Teachers College, she often asked me to find in the school system qualified and experienced teachers for employment in the college. When Dr. Sherman returned from her trip, she consulted with the University's echelon and I was offered the position of Director of Research. In this capacity, I coordinated research proposals from the various colleges. One of the qualities I admired in Mary Antoinette was her consciousness of both western and African values when it was not fashionable in Liberia at the time. She was proud to tell of her dual heritage - that her mother originated from the Vai ethnic group and her father from the West Indies. As President of the University, she encouraged the teaching of Liberian languages in the College of Arts and Humanities and the incorporation of indigenous medical practices in the College of Medicine, such as traditional bone setting. As the first female president of a national African university, Mary Antoinette received several honors, including election to and service on the Executive Board of the Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESCIA, 1982-1985) with headquarters in Dakar, Senegal. She was an outstanding scholar and prolific writer who delivered several speeches on education in Liberia and produced many publications, including: The Challenges to Highter Education in Liberia (1978), Education in Africa: A Comparative Survey (1982); and The University of Liberia- Toward the 21st Century (1983). One of her famous references was Dr. Edward W. Blyden;, an icon in Liberian and West African education and history. Liberia has lost a distinguished citizen and educator and I a cherished and reliable friend. May her soul rest in peace.

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Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman:

A Profile of Courage in the History and Life of The University of Liberia

by Agnes Cooper Dennis

Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman was the twentieth institutional administrator and first female president ushered into what I would like to call the "Hall of Fame" of one of West Africa's oldest institutions of learning-the University of Liberia. The first fourteen presidents, beginning with Honorable Joseph Jenkins Roberts, (1863-1876), and ending with Dr. T Ebenezer Ward, 1937-1950, served as administrators for Liberia College, precursor to the University of Liberia. At this juncture in the history of education in Liberia, there had evolved a new sense of direction in education from a more classic bias to one of diversifying, strengthening and developing education in all of its ramifications. It was an exciting period in the life of the Univer- sity in that just prior to her tenure as president, the university had been engaged with the formulation of a new blueprint designed to develop some method to deal with a new approach to tackle educational matters in the new scheme of things. The appointment of Drs. J. Max Bond, 1950-1954, and Kermit C. King, 1954-1958, were the first steps toward this objective. These two educators were Afro-Americans contracted by the Liberian government to serve as institutional administrators. They concentrated their efforts on the business of merging and consolidation of the existing schools, departments, and or divisions. I joined this academic journey during the presidency of Dr. Kermit C. King in March 1957 as Instructor of Biology in the Division of Science. At the time, Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman was serving as Instructor of Secondary Education in the then Teachers College. Here was the beginning of an extensive professional relationship in addition to a long time friendship from the College of West Africa, Trinity Cathedral Church and Sunday School, her years in Washington, D. C. and New York City, when her first husband, the late Kedrick W. Brown, St. served the Liberian Gov- ernment as Financial Attache, and Mary Antoinette as Student Advisor to students receiving financial assistance through full scholarships or what was called at that time "financial aid."

Liberian Studies Journal, XXIX, 2 (2004)

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Late 1957-1958, I personally viewed as the waning days of Dr. Kermit C. King. Many faculty were like "sitting on the fence" because there were all the rumors that a new president was to come, in that the King contract would expire in 1958. Mary Antoinette, in her usually fashion was vocal in her call for review and in-depth study of departmental programs. She believed that the university did not necessarily need to have someone come from some place "else" meaning overseas to decide what was or was not good for it. Instead, each department should put into place some mechanism to evaluate its own program-in other words, she was one of the first persons I worked with at the university who advocated for "self-study" before all the visiting teams would be invited in to decide one's fate as a lot of valuable information was taken and written up as these so called "experts" saw or felt about it. It represented a good method of improving an institution's programs. Most of us who have taught over the years do know that this kind of exercise or monitoring of one's work serves as a very useful tool of management be it in education or otherwise. However, self-study programs require so much work and is viewed as burdensome. The Bond and King years as presidents and Dr. A. Doris Banks Henries as Dean of the University were viewed by many at the University as bias years in that so many changes were being made to make a replica of college education in the United States. In 1959, Dr. Rocheforte L. Weeks was appointed President of the University of Liberia and served for thirteen years. The Weeks' years ushered in a period of some very formal physical and institutional planning for the university, short-and long-term. It was a time of excitement because Dr. Weeks was a national, an alumnus of Liberia College-precursor to the University of Liberia, and foreign trained as a lawyer. Dr. Weeks in his inimitable style of administration encouraged and promoted an open and free thought atmosphere for faculty and staff as they performed their tasks. Brainstorming and exchange of ideas on university issues in the moment were brought into focus and certain policies expanded upon took their roots during this time. With an egalitarian personality at the helm exploring new ideas, face lifting, and expanding upon what was in place, involved hard work. Long were the hours not negating the fact that this team had added two very "talkative" female faculty members considered "fledging" to the world of education in Liberia. Working meetings were frequent and they dealt with issues such as: the University's organizational chart-a graphic representation of duties and responsibilities of persons, departments, divisions; the return to overhauling the institutional features of the curriculum of Teachers' College to better adapt it to a more functional instrument to service the "teacher" to be more prepared to provide "knowledge" in addition to methodology; the continuation of work on short and long-range plans in development process during the Hoff and Blamo years of administration. Each of Dr. Sherman's predecessors brought to the administrative table his own style, skills and menu. The features she chose to support as a team player were always PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor AGNES COOPER DENNIS 47

rooted within the concept of more and more education, but one providing quality along every step of the way.

Challenges First and foremost, there were certain challenges entrenched in the society, which had to be overcome. A. Being young and a woman; B. Holding a position historically held and dominated by men (many of whom with political power and clout); C. A woman leader in a paternalistic society.

Being Young and Female: In the Liberian society-generally, youth or "youngness" had its barriers. Decision- makers male or female, always felt that one had to be gray-haired by age to take on such a Herculean task at such a crucial and visible period in the nation's educational phase at that time.

Holding a Position Traditionally Held by Men: Dr. Sherman was someone exploring the unknown, a virtual pathfinder or explorer in many instances, in the role of the presidency of a university not only in Liberia, but also in continental Africa.

A Female Leader in a Very Paternalistic Society: Paternalism in the Liberian society is reflected culturally and traditionally. The principles of governing a nation or running an organization in that world is authorita- tive, to say the least, and women were to be listeners and followers. The challenges therefore that came with such a position were indeed enormous. It is within this scenario that faculty and staff observed and witnessed this new incumbent setting out and responding to the needs of the University in her role as president. While it is true that she pursued education as a passion, she outlined her vision and embarked upon it; a "path of qualitative and comprehensive education." Dr. Sherman was very much attuned and sensitized to the changing needs of a university from the traditional classic education to a broader and more expansive institution. As I recall and attempt to encapsulate the setting in the early years of her presidency, she did the following to address some of these needs: Strengthened the efforts in curriculum planning and development, university- wide; Promoted and strengthened science education and collaborated with the natural and physical science offerings within the Division of Science, precursor to the T.J.R. Faulkner College of Science and Technology;

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Encouraged and fostered research in all disciplines offered at the University; Developed a University Faculty Salary Scale; Improved upon working conditions-university-wide.

Strengtening the Efforts in Curriculum Planning and Development University- Wide: One of the earlier tasks Dr. Sherman had engaged in consistently, and especially so as Dean of the W.V.S. Tubman College of education was the review and consolidation of the curriculum for raising teaching standards to fall within the yardsticks of neighboring countries and other West African institutions, as well as overseas, in that many of the graduates of the University went away for further education abroad. Every academic department was required to streamline its offering within the framework of a major-minor-and support combination. Curriculum review/overhauling and/or up-date, highlighted outreach activities to teachers all over the country. Committees were set up and given the responsibilities to implement the plans of outreach to high schools as well as elementary schools. The teachers were required to be engaged with a series of seminars, workshops, guest lectur- ers and special projects. The committee formed was selected from the departments that participated within the program and not necessarily the heads of programs, and they interacted with the Ministry of Education. Aspects of retention were significant during this time because the University wished to hold its students to a four year curriculum where they would graduate on time and move on to teach locally, travel abroad for higher degrees or become certified to teach

at the two levels in the country . . .elementary and secondary education. Curriculum review to include relevant and in-depth knowledge within a major subject area of concentration was of great concern to many of the matured students who were already working, in some instances.

Promoted and Strengthened Science Education and Collaborated with the Natu- ral and Physical Science Offerings within the Division of Science: Dr. Sherman's credo here was that if students or teachers were going to be biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics teachers in the high schools, they must be required to go beyond the introductory and very general major level, a pattern which had taken hold over the years. The classic based subjects, social sciences and humanities, English, Latin, had a foundation in the liberal arts subjects because Liberians did a lot of that type of education throughout, with perhaps less of the modem languages, such as French and Spanish. Concomitant with curriculum upgrading was the whole area of "testing and mea- surements" and student advisement. Tests were devised to evaluate levels of education. Based upon test scores, students were held to some more stringent standards and were academically advised accordingly. This meant that faculty workloads became adjusted PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor AGNES COOPER DENNIS 49

to their roles as academic advisors and the task of advisement was not totally dependent upon departmental chairs, deans, and sometimes, administrative assistants. She viewed the academic advisor as a sort of mentor for his or her student-treating each student as a potential success and treating each advisee as a future success by helping to formulate a plan or vision of his or her future in the academic world. Faculty Members of both Teachers College and Science and Technology were in collaboration with each other. This naturally required longer student-faculty hours to insure any success for many students. To the "watch-the clock" faculty in the sciences who is doing a lot of moonlighting" meaning holding down many other jobs in the high school system around town, or the professional faculty such as lawyers holding jobs in well-established law firms (who were frequently absent), this move to reintroduce and enforce these issues were not so popular, and in some instances became political.

Encouraging and Fostering Research in all Disciplines Offered at the University Being involved in research as we know, requires a certain amount of discipline by whoever is so inspired. It requires patience, is time-consuming and naturally has its own inbuilt challenges. During Dr. Sherman's years as vice president for academic affairs of the University, she urged and encouraged faculty, staff and students alike to place their thinking into whatever area or field of interest and submit it into a proposal with well defined objectives, present a planned budget, and accurate report models. The College of Social Sciences and Humanities (formerly Liberia College) was always in the forefront with its demographic studies, a long time traditional activity in that college. I remember her years in leadership as always thinking "outside of the box" and venturing into a lot of brainstorming, studying with her faculty and making a start with whatever was available at the time. The establishment of the W. R. Tolbert Col- lege of Agriculture and Forestry renamed in 1972 ushered in a tremendous amount of interest and collaborative effort between government and the University with agricultural and forestry endeavors of the country at the time-swamp rice versus upland and the lumber industry. Speaking for the College of Science and Technology, during this time and into the years of her presidency, she encouraged and supported more collaborative work between the government and the university, by extending university services to the greater community in whatever capacity the university was equipped to serve efficiently. A chemistry department faculty served on the Standard Board of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and Transportation. The chemistry department also assisted with substantiating the quality of some commercial products placed on the market for consumption. The Criminal Investigation Division and the National Bureau of Investigation collaborated with the departments of biology and chemistry in screening tests for verifying blood, hair textile/fabrics types and forms of liquids. The Mesurado Fishing Company from time to time received help with fish and plankton identification and some chemical analysis of water. Many, many private indi-

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viduals requested and received help for water analysis of wells, fishponds and fish- farming facilities. The Natural History Teaching Museum, Green House and live animal collection were supported in ways that brought strength and confidence to those efforts and broadened the pathway for exposure and learning for the elementary, and high school system, as well as the general population. With the encouragement of research, growing interest by faculty, staff and students alike was generated. Observing and asking questions, describing, explaining and docu- menting any phenomenon became on-going interests. Some of the activities were concerned with folklore by the older population, identifying and naming the flora and fauna of Liberia-land and water-(salt and fresh), tagging of trees on the Monrovia campus as well as the Fendall campus. Encouraging and fostering research naturally required certain support systems such as library improvement. Therefore, we saw the procurement of certain types of equipment such as computers, projectors, books, maga- zines professional journals, screens, micro fishing and those things germane to the growth and development of this facet of the university; personnel training in library science to advance and compliment the growth of the library experienced its highest level of function during my years at the university.

The Development of a Salary Scale The development of a salary scale, which would be used as a guideline for some equitable standard across the board, was one of the major tasks of her deanship. Plac- ing contractual gratuities or incentives into dollars and cents was a major issue for her. During this time government contracts provided housing, basic furniture, a servant, car and gas coupons for what was called "expatriate" or foreign faculty. The salaries of national faculty remained comparatively very low. Each head of department was required to provide its budget broken down to project housing cost, car cost, gas coupons and maintenance, servant salaries in dollar and cents. The comptroller's office provided confirmation of the dual faculty standard of payment with the same degrees between foreign and local faculty. Using this disparity as a strategy to change this long standing ever-growing practice, Dr. Sherman spent many hours negotiating with the Board ofTrustees of the University to make some adjustments. This was not too popular an idea for the Board. She literally "boxed" with her superiors because she felt that this was necessary to accomplish in order to encourage students studying or finished with their studies abroad to return home and join the workforce at the university or other sectors of the country. It was felt at that time that there was concern that some officials of government did not want to see or have university professors making the same or as near salaries that officials were receiving. While it is true that she was unable to raise monies for this increment, she managed to give university faculty some relief by offering housing and gas coupons for recently arriving faculty while they got on their feet. Correspondingly, the ranking of faculty PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor AGNES COOPER DENNIS 51

salaries were the same for faculty with the same degrees and years of work and teaching experience for both genders from instructor to full professorship.

Improvement of Working Conditions University-Wide The Planning Unit wing of the university was also heightened during her deanship. While it is true that this unit was active in the Weeks years, it slowed down over the years; perhaps because of budget constraints, but the short-term plans were being dealt with. The physical facilities were upgraded and equipped such as the library, the off campus site of the engineering program-the Jonathan Goodridge Building, the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine, and the repair of rental properties of the university for faculty use. The one long-term project that was truly pushed by her was the completion and move of some of the main buildings to the Fendall campus. The William R. Tolbert Jr. College of Agriculture and Forestry had already permanently moved to the Fendall Campus along with the James T. Phillips, Jr. Agricultural Training Center of the West African Rice Development Association (WADA). The TJR College of Science and Technology occupied her next move and thrust of activity to have the move to the Fendall campus.

In Recognition of Academia Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman was the first President of the University of Liberia to recognize students at a public forum or convocation on October 28, 1977. Dr. Rocheforte Weeks, former President of the University, delivered the address for the occasion and Dr. J. Bernard Blamo, President of the University gave the closing remarks. As an administrator, Dr. Sherman demonstrated strong leadership qualities. She was skillful, energetic and showed great drive in the initiatives she undertook. She brought with her high professional standards, was a strong advocate for educational matters. Interestingly, while she talked a lot, she equally listened to those who worked with her; and did not impose her views upon anyone. She could withstand great pres- sure in her work from all arenas but never caved in. In retrospect, the years of Dr. Rocheforte L. Weeks brought to the University a new era with ideas for modernization and westernizing the University. Dr. Sherman shared all of her professional assets with Presidents Weeks, Hoff, and Blamo alike in advocating and furthering academic growth and development. She was considered a good teacher and trainer of teachers, never withholding what she had to offer. Her ability to listen to others and give them an opportunity to share views and demonstrate what they "said" they were going to do was one of the skills that consolidated her leadership in the university. Now, she was not a leader without controversy, nevertheless, because she could never be "dead wood" in anybody's organization. She had a strong sense of integrity, PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 52 A PROFILE OF COURAGE

stuck by her beliefs and convictions, a quality which gave her much credibility. She could be trusted whether or not she agreed or disagreed with a position. She respected the views of others with whom she disagreed, especially on issues relevent to the Uni- versity of Liberia. No pump, no pageantry, speaking often in parables, Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, a small-built body lady made life at the University of Liberia take on a spiraling upward outlook. She came with a vision and never lost her focus. MOTHER-WIFE, EDUCATOR, FRIEND, I will always remember her as a "thinker" who searched for solutions on critical issues of the time and made a significant contribution to that institution and left a legacy of hard work, institutionalization and certainly a performance of excellence.

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The Contributions of Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman to Education

by D. Evelyn S. Kandakai

I. Introduction I wish to thank D. Elwood Dunn of the Liberian Studies Association for the opportunity he offered me to demonstrate, especially in the area of education, a form of gratitude for the life and work of Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, President Emeritus, University of Liberia. Sensing this was no small task, I promptly pointed out to him that I had already written an article in her rememberance, and that the article was published in the July 1, 2004 issue of the New National, entitled: "A Tribute to an Educator, Scholar and a Dear Friend."' Nevertheless, I decided to carry out the assignment for the Liberian Studies Association, because of the overall significance of the project. Having accepted the foregoing important responsibility, I remarked to Dr. Dunn that I considered Dr. Sherman a mentor, and he replied that "we all do." What an inspiring mentor! In reading many of her articles, speeches theses, and deliveries, well- documented as though just for such a purpose, I have stood in awe of the enormous contributions of Dr. Sherman to the University of Liberia, to education in and out of Liberia, to the Liberian society and our larger environment, that transcends what I felt before embarking on this venture. In no way can this article, do justice to the far-reaching breadth and depth of the thinking of Dr. Sherman, the passion, the commitment and devotion which she has portrayed by her life and work. These achievements have created an indelible legacy of "our mentor" to the world at large, Africa, Liberia, and Liberian education. I wish to fulfill or carry out this assignment by dwelling after this brief introduction on five themes vis a vis her contributions to education: 1) Education and National Develop- ment 2) the University of Liberia 3) The Influence of Edward Wilmot Blyden 4) Val- ues, Culture and Indigenous Educations) 5) Her legacy and in pursuit of Her Legacy. In Pursuing the above themes largely gained through examination of some of her many works, I believe that while justice may not be done to her entire contributions to education, to her life and work, by concentrating on the above-named areas we can apprehend what could be considered the loves of her life, those passions that con- sumed her: the University of Liberia, the thinking of Edward Wilmot Blyden which is

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recurrent through her works; African social and cultural values which she highly cel- ebrated and esteemed; and the vexing question or questions of education and national development. To place these in perspective here in separate compartments is a difficult proposition because these entities, ideas, and concepts constantly spill over into each other in her life, her publications, the thinking and the contributions of this foremost African female scholar.

II. Education and National Development On this theme, perhaps borrowed from the thinking of Edward Wilmot Blyden, the dissertation, Education and National Development in Liberia, 1800 - 1900,2 was fashioned. This linkage of education to national development is recurrent in the thought and work of Dr. Sherman and perhaps where we find, one of her greatest contributions. That she devoted her most original work, her doctoral dissertation, to this theme is indicative of the strength she gave to the relationship between education and national development. In this dissertation which has informed many other works, Sherman gives an account of the founding of Liberia, portraying the dual system of education that obtained at the time, the indigenous system of education as illustrated by the "Bush Schools", typically the Sande and the Poro, and the introduction of Western education in Liberia in the 19th Century when the Bush schools were the predominant form of education, emphasizing as we all now know, the "Christianizing and Civilizing mission" of Western Education which was introduced in Liberia by various Christian missions. The conclusion she draws at the end of this well-documented research is that in establishing education in the 19th Century in Liberia from 1800 - 1900, the role of the state was a very marginal one and in her exact words: During this century, a relationship between education and national development was not seen except by a few persons outstanding among whom was Edward Wilmot Blyden who urged that education be oriented towards the development of the nation. Education such as existed neither prepared the masses for participation in the life of the nation, nor contributed to evolving a political system adapted to the peculiar condition and circumstances of the people of Liberia. It did not provide technical training needed to develop economic sufficiency in the new environment. Nor did it aim at cultural independence though a study of the traditions, philosophy, and poetry of the tribes in the area. It did not contribute to national development.' This work was definitive and its findings and conclusions proved to be very perti- nent to the entire existence and endeavors of the author. For example, on the occasion of the Special Assembly for the Launch of a Graduate Program at the University of Liberia, she expressed the view:

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Needless to say, a milestone in the history of our nation, the large untapped, often untrained or insufficient, trained pool of human resources constitutes a major drawback to our nation. Thus our biggest challenge lies in extending the nation's educational base while also expanding and sharpening third level educational opportunities. Our Regional Planning Program is our response to this educational challenge.4 In the same vein, in making a welcome statement at the National Conference on Education held at the University of Liberia, Dr. Sherman noted: Consequently, appropriate policies should be promulgated and mecha- nisms set up so that those who benefit from the taxpayer's money to acquire their education will compensate the nation in some measure by dedicated service, in keeping with their competencies and national needs.' Reverting to her mentor, E.W. Blyden in her, "The University of Liberia Towards the Twenty-First Century," we further discern a vision of the relationship of education to development and in particular the university's unflinching role when she declared: Phrased in the expression uttered by Dr. Edward Wilmot Blyden as far as 1862 at the ceremony inaugurating Liberia College, forerunner of the University of Liberia, the institution is to be a regenerative force for the nation which is to send down, through all ramifications of society, the streams of wholesome and elevating influence. The University of Liberia is therefore, not only to benefit those who attend it, but those who do not, to benefit the society and the nation.6

I am particularly impressed by the language used here in the expression that Uni- versity education should benefit both those who attend and those who do not, for this has large implications. In a wider forum, at the 9th General Conference of the Associa- tion of African Universities in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire in a paper entitled: "The University and Continuing Education," she admitted: Relating the University to and integrating it with its society constitute a major challenge to universities in Africa which must be met if nations of the continent must retain their identity and keep pace with a rapidly changing world.' After the 1980 Coup change was a watchword in Liberia. On the occasion of National Redemption Day, Dr. Sherman was elected as Keynote Speaker and she had a serious platform to elaborate her views on the relationship of education to national development, saying specifically about the by-gone era of Tubman and Tolbert in the heyday of the post Coup People's Redemption Council Government, "Each Today Implies a Tomorrow:"

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Sharp rises in educational enrollment at all levels and increasing employment opportunities contributed to rising expectations of the masses. Economic development, with emphasis on gross national prod- uct became the order of the day to the neglect of the social development of the nation. The gap began widening between the haves and have nots, individual interest and self-aggrandizement were substituted for the national welfare by some in positions of trust. The hopes of the masses in becoming involved in making the political and other decisions which affected their lives were frustrated. In short, accommodations to the new realities in terms of appropriate modifications of fundamental political and social structures in particular but economic structures as well did not occur. 8 There is a bit of a anomaly about this turn of events in not only Liberia but across Africa where the expansion of educational opportunities that followed the euphoria of the 1960s and 1970's in the blush of independence in Africa did not bring the antici- pated break-thoroughs as promised by the match between education and national development. However, this in no way diminishes the important linkage established very early on by this young scholar and pursued throughout her lifetime, a juxtaposi- tion which continues to haunt the Liberian society and nation.

III. The University of Liberia In the relationship between Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman and the Univer- sity of Liberia we see an uncommon bonding and a life's work of dedication. We also see clearly the personification of the linkage between Liberia College and the Univer- sity of Liberia in the embodiment and the formation of Dr. Sherman. This was a symbiotic relation that knew no bonds and that began with her admission to and completion of Liberia College in 1947. One gets an insight into this linkage where when one examines her response in an exclusive interview with The Liberian Professional Exchange, on the question of her foremost concerns about higher education in Liberia when she responded after having exhaustively dealt with a number of other topics, My foremost concern is about the future of higher educational institutions in the country. What place will they have and what role will they play especially in view of a rapidly changing and advancing world? This concern grows out of the situation resulting from the adverse effects on higher education in the country in general and on the main higher educational institution in particular, the University of Liberia, caused by the assault on the University in August 1984 by the Liberian Army. Since then the institution has been politicized and considerably weakened its image at home and abroad consequently tarnished. Many gains over the years have been lost.' PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor D. EVELYN S. KANDAKAI 57

The above was to illustrate the kind of devotion and concern for higher education, Dr. Sherman possessed and we can vividly see the gains made in the arena of higher education with her ascension to the Presidency of the University after having served as Director of the William V.S. Tubman Teacher Training Program, Dean of the William V.S. Tubman College of Teacher Education (1960-1975), and Vice President for Aca- demic Affairs (1975-1978). In "The Challenges to Higher Education," the address delivered on the occasion of her induction as President of Liberia College, she noted: As I stand before you this evening, many are my thoughts, my hopes and my dreams. I am fully cognizant however that for the university these can be translated into realties only through cooperative effort of a sizeable number in bur university community as well as with the sympa- thetic understanding of the Liberian public that higher education functions as a part of the larger socio-economic setting and educational framework, and consequently, is affected by limitations imposed by the milieu in which it functions.1° At her ascendancy to the position of President of the University of Liberia the message from the Association of African Universities (AAU) was in part: The Association of African Universities is happy and proud to participate in this ceremony, marking the elevation of the first African woman, Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, to the highest academic position in one of its most active member states.

We owe this appointment, first of all to His Excellency President Tolbert's policy of open-mindedness, peace and fairness, to which we pay homage, but his nomination is also the reward of a brilliant university career of a woman who for many years has dedicated her life to research, education of Liberians, other Africans and to inter-university cooperation, for among the graduates of the University could be found INTERAF students. 11 As to the activities, developments and accomplishments of Dr. Sherman during her tenure as President of the University of Liberia, we get many accounts by her own reports at Commencements dubbed "Academic 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, etc." Other accounts were given through the many welcome and other statements she made at various occasions, the graduations and other addresses given and the professional papers and articles written and published such as to name a few: "Striving for Excel- lence," an Address delivered by Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, at the Graduation Exercises at Konola Academy;12 "Remarks on the Occasion of the Celebration of the Tenth Anniversary of the Founding of the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine;"" "The Liberian Nation in a Revolutionary Era," Graduation address, St. Augustine

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Episcopal High School;" "Effectiveness in Teaching the Role of Teaching Practice;"'5 "Remarks on the Occasion of the Installation of the Officers of the Liberia Association of Writers;"16 and scores of others. With reference to her accomplishments as President of the University our attention is drawn to a statement made in passing more than once by Dr. Sherman, reference plan formulation and implementation in Liberia. When delivering her first statement to the University Council on September 7, 1978, she intimated: Some of us argue that the University is not lacking in ideas, plans, or even policies for development. The problem lies in the ability of the University to implement these and translate into reality what now lies on paper.17 We are made to understand through her statements, speeches and various academic reports that the University of Liberia Long Range Plan, 1975,18 despite the above statement, was being implemented. It was implemented through the establishment of the Graduate, School of Education, the school of Mass Communication, the School of Continuing Education, among others, but principally through trying to maximize internal efficiency at the University by minimizing wastage through reduction of remedial programs and the tightening of admission standards. Other outstanding accomplishments were the physical construction of the Science Complex at Fendall and the equipment of the College as well as the establishment of an Institute of Research at the University of Liberia, among others. In reflecting on the New Science Complex on the occasion of the presentation of scientific equipment to the University of Liberia by the United States' Education and Cultural Foundation/Liberia (USECFL) Dr. Sherman remarked: We are pushing this emphasis because we believe that a significant part of the answers to our nation's problems of development and improvement of the way of life of the masses in both rural and urban Liberia can be through programs of Science and Engineering in the country designed to understand and manipulate our environment, including development and adaptation of our indigenous technology. Needless to say, the science complex with adequate modem equipment should facilitate our efforts in instruction, research and community service.'9 I believe though that the most eloquent testimony of the reverence which Dr. Sherman held for the University was to be found in her relation to the William V.S. Tubman Teachers Training Program, where she served as Director, later the William V.S. Tubman Teachers College where she served with great pride as Dean for the period 1960 - 1975. In 1980, during her "Academic 1980" she begged for permission to share something which I believe she drew much more satisfaction than she was able to express, indicating:

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At this juncture, please allow me to introduce a sentimental note by referring to the added pleasure that this occasion has for me - that is the fact that the youngest of my three natural born children stands among those graduating today. That is he is graduating from the Teachers Col- lege in which I have spent the largest portion of my services to the university is a happy coincidence. It is an important measure of the demon- stration of my faith in the work of the college and the entire institute and a high point in my more than thirty years of service to the university.20 In this same report, "Academic 80," we get another touching glimpse into what Dr. Sherman stood for in the selection of the veteran teacher, critic and pamphleteer, Albert Porte as the Commencement Speaker. This selection was also a statement about the times. Introducing Mr. Porte, she declared: Mr. Porte is small only in stature. He is one of our stalwarts - a dynamic thinker and an individual with the courage of his conviction. For these outstanding characteristics and his integrity and moral strength, I have personally admired him for the many years I have known him. He has been outstanding in his exercise of constitutional rights, justice, and freedom of conscience and of speech. At the dawn of the new day in Liberia, the University of Liberia proudly hails Mr. Porte for his outstanding contributions in building a free, open and just society where constitutional liberties will be respected. Above ethnic prejudices, he is also heralding the need for unity in our national development efforts. May we heed his cal1.2' As intimated there were problems at the University of Liberia during the tenure of Dr. Sherman and long before her tenure. In her interview with The Liberian Profes- sional Exchange cited, earlier,22 she referred to problems relating to occupation of the campus by the Liberian Army in August 1984. In "Academic 1979"23 she referred to various interregnums occasioned by the misunderstanding between the Local and For- eign Boards of Liberia College. She referred to an interregnum which led to the closure of the University for two months after the Rice Riots in 1979. She also made mention of the fact that the University ran without a Board after the 1980 Coup but in defer- ence to its new leaders and to the Liberian people."

IV. The Influence of Edward Wilmot Blyden The influence of Edward Wilmot Blyden on the life and work of Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman is almost incredible. She devoted one of the five chapters in her dissertation, Education and National Development, 1800 - 1900 to his thinking and views. Even the title of this work can be attributed to the influence of Edward Wilmot Blyden. In nearly every major speech or research article she wrote can be found a reference to

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E.W. Blyden. For instance on the occasion of her address, on becoming President of the University Dr. Sherman noted: Today is unique in the history of the University. In bestowing upon me, the first of the fairer sex, the honor of heading the University, you bless our distinguished Edward W. Blyden, for his vision in the 1880's regarding the. education of Liberian girls. Teaching a private afternoon class for girls during his tenure as Professor of Liberia College in an attempt to bridge the gap because of limited provisions for the high school education of girls and non-existing opportunities for the collegiate education of girls, Blyden pleaded;25

I trust that arrangements will be made by which girls of our country may be made to share in the advantages of the college. I cannot see our sisters should not receive exactly the same culture as we do. I think that the progress of the country will be more rapid and permanent when the girls receive the same general training as the boys.26

I would venture to say that as a Woman Dr. Sherman was not unmoved by such a stance, especially having experienced a male hegemony in the educational system of Liberia. This is reflected in a paper delivered with the title, "Social Resources and Constraints Affecting the Status of Black Women: The African Case," when she pos- ited: The biggest drawback to development on the African continent lies in the narrow conceptualization of the role of woman in society and its concomitance of a generally low status of women.... The negative psychological frame which engulfs them is a major constraint to development.... Research is the key to development. Yet so little research has taken note of woman as an important force in development.27 Touching on a quagmire in African education long before the present focus by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), that was based in Nairobi and has 32 chapters including Liberia's one, she affirmed: There is a slow progress of many children in school and the near aban- donment of the formal education of children to the school due to the fact that the majority of the continent's women are illiterate and it is the mother who makes the biggest impact on children particularly during their formative years. Given this and the large number of school age children who do not either in school, the stock of adult illiterate grows yearly in a larger numbers than should be, with effects on more children." At the installation of the first officers of the Liberian Association of Writers Dr. Sherman recalled the role of Blyden: PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor D. EVELYN S. KANDAKAI 61

It is indeed an honor to be invited by you to install the first offices of the Liberian Association of Writers... Liberia's isolation up to post world War II period due mainly to historic circumstances is no doubt a partial cause of the' nation being overlooked in the world of literature, but Liberians are themselves hardly knowledgeable of their own literary heritage. To use a striking example, it is only within the last fifteen years that a worthwhile number of Liberians have come to know the works of Edward Wilmot Blyden, doubtless, the nation's most prolific writer, and become appreciative of his contributions. He has, nevertheless, yet to be an important subject in the nation's schools. This being the case, it is worth inquiring as to how many of us know the works of other nineteenth century literary figures.29 The invitation to the grandson of Edward Wilmot Blyden, Dr. Edward Wilmot Blyden III, to be the Speaker at the Commencement, in 1981, was therefore no coincidence. It was still according recognition to the high pedestal on which Dr. Sherman, placed Edward Wilmot Blyden, I., of nineteenth century fame. It is well to end this section on Blyden and the great place given him by Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman with the following views of Blyden which are most enlightening and certainly were most enlightening, even though Dr. Sherman remarked that his view were well before his time. She said: One of Blyden's main concerns related to the prevailing nineteenth century notion which the western world held concerning Africans for he knew that the bases' for these were unsound....He therefore never accepted the idea of an .inherent inferiority of the Negro race and the African with which the race was so strongly identified. He postulated that rather than being identical and unequal the races were district and equal... As he put it, there is a different sound for each race in the music of the universe. However faint, only the music could give his sound. But despite years of devotion to the cause of education, Blyden was unable to effect any of the major changes in education which he advocated and thought so essential. His contribution remains largely in the world of thought and the impressions which he left on the minds of the students who sat at his feet. He was veritably a lone voice making an important call - about a century ahead of his time." And just about a century later, in a Welcome Statement at the Opening of the Seminar on the Dynamics of the African -American Connection, she stressed: The resulting movement for equality and dignity for Africans expressed in concepts as the African personality and Negritude was popularized and these concepts became foci for identification by Blacks everywhere, providing them psychological buttressing, unlike earlier years when PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 62 CONTRIBUTIONS TO EDUCATION

although advocated by a few like Dr. Edward Wilmot Blyden, were hardly understood or taken seriously.31

V. Cultural Values In all of her Academic Reports at various Commencement Exercises, Dr. Sherman prefaced her account with the Vai/Gola Statement in homage and appreciation to God: Sei Gbi Kamba wa to mu, or All thanks belong to God in the words of the Vai/Gola. The saying of itself sets apart her values and beliefs in a value system led by Chris- tian Principles as she intimated in the exclusive interview with The Liberian Profes- sional Exchange on her upbringing and family-life: Our home was one of love and warmth where my parents taught as much by example as by precept. What was basic to them was their firm belief in God. Thus there were daily morning prayers, regular attendance at church and Sunday School, and life standards which reflected Christian values. Discipline in each of the children. Recognized and strongly emphasized was the importance of a good education, and opportunities which provided for all of the children to attend good schools and to study hard to attain this.32 In this cocoon of a home in which Dr. Sherman was nurtured and brought up was found elements of the two worlds which have characterized Liberia - the indigenous and the non-indigenous. One value which sprang from this upbringing was that she always strived to unite these two worlds. While we may attribute her stress on values especially African values, to the great attention and importance she placed on the works of Blyden, we may infer that she was also highly influenced in this regard by the values exemplified in her upbringing and formation, particularly her family life. One of her more critical commentaries on values and culture is found in her presentation at a round table organized on, "The Cultural Dimensions of Development," at a forum of the Interregional Coordinating Meeting of Development Associations, during which she said: Culture is the very essence of being of nations and of individuals within them. Change is a fundamental aspect of culture, the rate of change, naturally varying in different cultures. I would posit that the greater the creative capacity of the culture to adapt to the experiences and needs of the majority of its people, the more the culture revitalizes itself and the less it is subject to domination from external forces." Earlier, commenting on the paradox of development given the north-south divide, Dr. Sherman wrote under the theme, "Beyond the North-South Dialogue:"

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It is a paradox that as our modern world has shrunk due to improved means of transportation and communication, its people have become sharply divided and separated. There are literally two worlds - one world united by material comfort and the other united by a common heritage of suffering, describing the situation in Shrideth Ramphal's words.34 She further stated during the mentioned occasion, thus: Perhaps more unsettling is the revelation, particularly within the last decade, of a resemblance of this situation within nations of the South - a widening gap between the urban elite and the rich on one hand and the rural masses and the poor on the other. While political and economic factors are usually highlighted as of this situation, the important influence of culture is hardly given recognition. A dynamic force inter- acting with other forces to provide the sum total of influences on the development process, an understanding of culture is bound to signal alternative modes of development and influence the choice of development options." It is not surprising therefore that she gave space to elaborating the problems of the silent majority, making a case for their education while declaring:

Accordingly, I will endeavor to sensitize to the neglect of the vast majority of the region's people - the silent majority - and argue for education that focuses on the majority and includes the rest of the population such education should contribute to the revalorization of the culture of the region and empowerment of the people and itself. Among impera- tives should be sensitization to inequities building on indigenous values, knowledge, skills, releasing the storehouse of latent potential in their education and stimulating creativity and openness to new approaches." On the question of values, Dr. Sherman always pondered. She saw a definite relationship between people and their cultural values; and in an article entitled, "Values in Liberia: Western, Islamic and African," she indicated that values were aptly described as products of the culture, and they are acquired as people live in a given culture. In this article she concluded: Realities of the Liberian environment and experience reflect what Ali Mazuri has described for Africa as a triple heritage. To a strong African background Islamic influences and western influences were introduced as varying circumstances led different groups to adopt as home the area now called Liberia.37

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Dr. Sherman's concern for the divide in the world between the North and South and the cultural underpinnings were brought to light also in her address on assuming the office of president of the University of Liberia when she remarked: I daresay that the amount of intellectual and cultural dominance impinging on us from without is too strong for a Third World nation. We cannot be self-reliant unless we loosen ourselves form such dominance, and to do so, we should be able to see basic interrelations, as for example, between economic dependence and its concomitant of psychological arid cultural dominance and to make necessary adjustments in our thought processes and style of life. I believe that one of the most basic challenges of our nation is the integration of the traditional and modern sectors of our country. This must be done if we must acquire the necessary strength for competing in this age." Dr. Sherman invariably stressed on the pervading values which were common to African society as being the concern for human beings, solitary of the family, group cohesiveness, cooperation, emphasis on responsibility and productivity. She expressed the view in "The Role of Indigenous Education in Mass Education," that: The move toward westernization and its' concomitant of a drive towards education alien to the continent have left the continent with some valuable legacies but have also posed some major problems and striking dilemmas... All of these have come, however with western culture and its values, and in the process African societies have suffered by neglect in the development of their own. The underpinnings of these societies have accordingly been weakened; development of practical skills have been de-emphasized; African languages for the most part have been relegated to an inferior place."

VI. Her Legacy and in Pursuit of Her Legacy From whatever vantage point one views the life and work of Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman whether as scholar, as teacher, as person, as professional, as educator, as administrator, as a thinker, or builder, one cannot help but be impressed. There are a number of salient conclusions one can reach due to her outstanding achievements in the above-named fields. That she ranks very highly in the vanguard of contributions to education and educational thinking in Liberia, Africa and thereby the world is indis- putable. These unique accomplishments for an African woman squarely place her in a class of her own, of which there are very few if any other members and hence affords a legacy that is indeed enviable, and that should be fostered. Through her concern for education and national development especially at the University of Liberia, we get glimpses of what development could look like in Liberia PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor D. EVELYN S. KANDAKAI 65

for example on occasions such as, when the University held its first commencement at Fendall on February 20, 1980 or when many international fora by diverse bodies such as the workshop of the International. Association for Housing Science,4° or the NEIDA Language Development Workshop,4' or on the occasion of the celebration of the Plaque won by law students of the University of Liberia at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Contest.42 These represent what appears to be clear days for development, when in the words of the popular song, "we can see forever." In the life and work of Mary Antoinette Grimes Brown Sherman, we get a picture of the history of Liberia from 1800 - 1900 as a premium, while studying the educational history of Liberia. In focusing on the work of E.W. Blyden and on both the nineteenth and twentieth Centuries' education, Sherman's work became a vital bridge, a span between the two centuries, two cultures, like her own posture, providing understanding of what occurred in education during the first century of Liberia's existence, and the next century when formal education really took hold in the country. By concentrating on indigenous education and African cultural values, Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman has made a significant contribution to an Afro-centric world-view for Africans in contrast to Euro-centric world-view. She has postulated culture as a dual edge sword, both being a liberating vehicle to perpetuate the conti- nents' heritage but being debilitating in that it has been largely ignored, the case of the limited use of African languages for instruction, being instructive. For instance, being of the view that non westernized Africans are the remaining bearers and preservers of the African cultural heritage on the one hand, while being at the base of the continent's educational system, she advocates not using 'her words, that by being non westernized they are far from being ignorant, and that in order to preserve the cultural heritage as it were, we in education ought to use them in schools and elsewhere even as we engage them in adult education programs. Dr. Sherman was not only concerned about education at the higher education level and I was particularly happy to find the reference she made to the need for general education of the population saying: The other point I would like to make in passing is that given the large number of children out of school (approximately two-thirds of school- age children are out of school), the large number who dropout of school, the high repeater rates and the large percentage of adult illiterates in the country, Our traditional ways of teaching and learning which are out moded, slow and restrictive must give way to imaginative and innovative approaches, so that the masses can be reached. Education is the right of every citizen, not the privilege of a few.43 This is particularly important at a time when advocating free and compulsory primary education there is a competition for the scarce funding in education at the loud

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and vocal higher education level versus the masses of pupils at the base who were part of what Dr. Sherman called the silent majority. She expressed the view that the free education program promulgated by government after the 1980 military coup would fail if professional teachers were not paid well. Low teacher salaries in Liberia has not augured well for fostering an inclusive education system and for the professionalization of education in the country. She persistently called for the certification of teachers as a way forward in the delivering of quality education and the professionalization of teaching. She thought that the most pressing problem in Liberian education, was the high illiteracy rate and the added concentration of women in this coupled with the generally low level of education of the nation, which she devoted much thinking to and advocated through the Liberia Profesional Exchange, thus: Concerted efforts to reduce illiteracy in the population with cooperation between the educational system and the mass media. Support should be especially from government, but also churches, business and interested agencies such as the National Adult Education Association of Liberia.44 There were a number of persistent themes in Dr. Sherman's writings that we may reiterate as: the importance of research, the concern for the education of girls, the role of the use of African languages in instruction and as a vehicle for promoting appreciation of the cultural heritage, etc. While she referred to the African society as one of paternalistic nature, we must applaud her for demonstrating high scholarship and research in the attention she paid to writing and documentation. It must be noted that these recurrent themes were evident with her departure from the African continent to the United States of America where she continuously pursued these themes, as her life work as Visiting Scholar and Professor at Ohio State University and at Cornell Univer- sity, the latter, which also helped to shape her in the individual she became. It is hence my distinguished pleasure to put forth the following recommendations in pursuit of perpetuating the legacy of Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman: 1. The compilation and publication of the works of Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman. On an immediate basis, a drive for the collection of such works can be initiated. 2. The launching of the Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman Lecture Series to pro- mote the legacy of Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman such as African values, the works of Blyden, education and national development, etc. I suggest a collaboration in this vein between the University of Liberia and the Ministry of Education. 3. The commissioning of an autobiography by Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman by the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) and the post-humus hon- oring of one of the pro-genitors of FAWE

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4. A special memoralization of Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman by the University of Liberia that recognizes the immense and outstanding contributions she has made to that University 5. Intensification of the efforts of Adult Education through non-formal means in our African Education systems to impact on the formal education system on the one hand, and to ensure that we abstract from our so-called indigenous African illiterates, the treasures of the African culture which Sherman believed they possess.

WI. Endnotes Kandakai, D. E. S., "A Tribute to an Educator, Scholar and a Dear Friend," New National, Monrovia, Liberia, July 1, 2004. 2 Brown, Mary Antoinette Grimes, Education and National Development in Liberia, 1800-1900, A Thesis presented to the Faculty, Graduate School of Cornell University, for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy, June, 1967, Authorized Facsimile produced by University microfilm, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1979. 3 Ibid. pp. 207-208. 4 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown Statement at UL Special Assembly for the Launching of the Graduate Programs, University of Liberia, September 5, 1983. 5 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Welcome Statement, Opening Ceremony, National Conference on Education, University of Liberia, July 19, 1981. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, The University of Liberia Towards the 21st Century, written for Babs Fafunwa's, Education in Africa, 1975. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The University and Continuing Education," Fifth General Conference of the Association of African Universities, Yamoussoukro, Cote D'Ivoire, 1980. 8 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Each Tomorrow Implies a Today," Liberian Age, Vol. 32, No. 26, April 3, 1981. 9 Exclusive Interview of The Liberian Professional Exchange with Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman on "Education and National Development in Liberia," August 1988, p. 3. lo Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The Challenges to Higher Education in Liberia" An Address Delivered on the Occasion of Her Induction into Office, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, March 31, 1978.

11 Message of the Association of African Universities on the occasion of the Induction of Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman (Sixth) President of the University of Liberia, March 3, 1978. 12 Shrman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Striving for Excellence," Delivered at the Graduation Exercises of Konola Academy, Konola, Liberia, Sunday, December 7, 1989. 13 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Remarks on the Occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of the A. M. Dogliotti College of Medicine, September 29, 1978. 14 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The Liberian Nation in the Revolutionaly Era" Graduation address, St. Augustine Episcopal High School, Sunday, December 6, 1981. 5 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Effectiveness in Teaching-The Role of Teaching Practice" International Conference on Teaching Practice, University of Nigeria, Nsuka, Nigeria, March 4-7, 1981. 16 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Remarks ont he occasion of the Installation of the officers of the Liberia Association of Writers, Saturday, October 9, 1982. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Statement to the University Council, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, September 7, 1978. 18 Long Range Plan, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, 1975.

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19 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Statement" on Presentation of Scientific Equipment to the University of Liberia by the United States Education and Cultural Foundation, March 17, 1980. 20 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Academic 80," University of Liberia Commencement, Fendell, p. 2.

21 /bid, pp. 9-10. 22 Op. Cit Liberia Professional Exchange, pp. 8-9. 23 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Academic 79."

24 Sherman, Mary Antoinette, Exclusive Interview with The Liberia Professional Exchange, pp. 8-9. 25 Sherman Op. cit, "The Challenges of Higher Education in Liberia," p. 1.

26 Ibid, P. 2. 27 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Social Resources and Constraints Affecting the Status of Black Women: The African Case," Conference on Black Women as Partners in Development, Bellagio Conference Center, August 23-27, 1982. 28 Ibid, p. 2. 29 Op. cit, Remarks on the Occasion of Installation of the officers of the Liberia Association of Writers, University of Liberia, October 9, 1982. 30 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Education and National Development, 1800-1900, p. 181. 31 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Welcome Statement, Opening of the Seminar on the Dynamics of the African-America Connection, University of Liberia, 1983. 32 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Interview, The Liberia Professional Exchange, p. 13. 33 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The Cultural Dimensions of Development," Third Meeting of the International Coordinating Committee of Development Association. Outline of Issues presented at Round Table No. 2 on Cultural Dimensions of Development Associations, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 7-9, 1983, p. 1-2.

34 Ibid, p. 1. 35 Ibid, p. 1. 36 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Focus on The Silent Majority An Approach to Empowerment Through Human Development in Sub-Saharan Africa," presented to Panel on Human Resource Development as Tool of Empowerment at Conference on the Interdependence of Human Rights and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Blueprint for Democratization in the 21" century, Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, April 2, 1982.

37 Ibid 38 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The Challenges of Highter Education," p. 10.

39 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, The Role of Indigenous Education in Mass Education, Mazi Conference of the Asociation for Teacher Education in Africa, University of Liberia, December 10-17, 1977, p. 1. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Welcome Remarks, Workshop of the International Association for Housing Science, University of Liberia, April 21, 1978. 4! Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, NEIDA Language Development Workshop, University of Liberia, October 16, 1983. 42 Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Statement at presentation ceremony of the Plaque Won by the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, October 31, 1980.

43 Ibid 44 The Liberian Professional Exchange: Interview of Liberian Exchange with Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, August, 1988.

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Tribute to Dr. Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes Brown Sherman 1926 - 2004

by Raymond J. Smyke (now deceased)

I am deeply honored to be invited to prepare a eulogy to our departed sister Mary Antoinette, affectionately known among colleagues as MARS. She is perhaps best known for her most recent work as President of the University of Liberia from 1978 until 1984, defining years for the nation and the university. It is not generally known that she was also the first woman to head any of the 150 state universities in Africa. Mary was associated with higher education and the University of Liberia all of her professional life, focusing on teacher education, an important aspect of her career that I will touch on. Thus, she was no stranger to the institution when at the age of 52 the Board of Trustees named her president. In the past this was often a political appointment, so to be chosen by peers within the university community was an indication of the esteem in which colleagues held her. The events of 1980 may have shocked the nation, but they also energized the student body to political action ushering in a tense and often volatile time on campus and off. In retrospect it seemed that Providence made this period Mary's "appointed hour." Her tenure as university president deserves an in-depth examination by Liberian historians, as it is unique to university governance in Africa. On the surface it shows an ostensibly frail woman, with nerves of steel and an unflinching determination to protect the student body and the institution from armed forces governed by self will run wild. From 1980 until her departure in 1984 - with her life often in jeopardy - Mary demonstrated outstanding leadership in all phases of her work, even continuing a process of renewal begun before 1980. On Mary's watch, in the words of Elwood Dunn, "the University of Liberia, the national university, seemed the only secular institution that retained credibility in the nation." Yet, salient as her presidency was, this was not Mary's true vocation. Above all she was a teacher and teacher educator. Miss Mary Antoinette Grimes, as she was then known, received her M. A. in 1949 from Radcliffe College in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For those too young to remember, Harvard University barred the admission of women at that time so the best and

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the brightest went to neighboring Radcliffe - same courses, same faculty. Miss Grimes returned and began work in 1950 at the independent William V.S. Tubman School of Teacher Training under Dean Edgar D. Draper. The following year this became the college of teacher training of the university, and later, the School of Education. From the moment of her return she began a life long commitment to the NTAL, the National Teachers Association of Liberia, founded in 1938 by Mrs. Ellen Mills Scarburough, the country's first supervising teacher. Arriving in 1917 as a missionary Dr. Ora M. Horton founded and directed the Bassa Community School for most of her life, she also served as association president from 1938 until 1959. Transportation and other difficulties overwhelmed the young association and it remained dormant until Mary's return. The NTAL, in 1952, became a founding member of the Swiss- based World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession (WCOTP). I headed the Confederation's African program for 25 years and in this way was closely associated with teacher events in Liberia. Without fear or favor I can report that the NTAL was a matriarchal association with powerful, no-nonsense leaders, all of whom I had the pleasure to work with during the heady days of the First Republic: Dr. Horton, Dr. Doris Banks-Henries, Mrs. Florence Ricks-Bing. Miss Grimes was the intellectual driving force of the NTAL from 1950 to 1984. Always in the background, guiding, explaining, cajoling the leaders, educators and students, she insisted that teaching was a profession and the children in the classroom deserve the best possible instruction. At the famous May 1950 re-launching of the NTAL in the Ashmun street building of the YWCA, Mary was in the middle of it all. She was on the five-person constitution drafting committee and wrote much of the document. In the first slate of officers she was the treasurer. Her objective for the association was to do something for the majority of unqualified teachers who performed a humdrum task with no equipment, job security, pension, or indeed hope and were seldom paid on time. This was 1950. It was difficult for Mary. Radcliffe showed her what had to be done and she tried to bring about change although junior to others in education. Dr. Horton's stories of the 1920s being carried to the hinterland in a hammock, invariably ended by teachers being told how well off they were in comparison, and besides, their reward would be in heaven - undoubtedly bringing a grimace to Mary's face. Nevertheless, as she moved up the academic ladder - dean of teachers college in 1958, vice president of the university in 1975, later president - she never surrendered her vision of a professional Liberian teaching service with the ability to renew the nation. Her seminal roll in Liberian teacher education really needs to be examined. I had the honor to know Marts mother, Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh Cheeseman Grimes, from a distinguished Vai family. While writing the biography of Momolu Massaquoi (1870-1938) I came to appreciate the work of Mary's father Louis Arthur Grimes at the League of Nations in the early 1930s.

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Let me end this eulogy by recognizing the suffering that burdened her life. Her marriage to Kedrick W. Brown ended after a few short years with his death in 1962. Upon Mary's return from Cornell University in 1967, she lost her daughter in a tragic automobile accident. Later, I recall how pleased people were in Monrovia at the news that Mary and George Flamma Sherman would be married. Their time together was special and rewarding. When in the mid 1980s they moved to the United States, it was to be near Mary's children Kedrick and Marbue and their families -a source of profound joy for her. Tragedy, however, was lurking. Flamma's Alzheimer's disease and the decade long struggle until he died in July 1999, was an excruciating period for her and the family. Although my home was in Switzerland until early 2004 Mary and I orresponded and spoke on the phone from time to time. She was extremely helpful in identifying some old photos (that I had all wrong) for my Massaquoi book. Her own serious illness was kept at bay with the help of her physicians and medication. But it was the binding love of family that kept her spirits intact. We spoke on the phone in March of 2004 in connection with the Liberian Studies Conference being held in April at North Caro- lina Central University. She had tentative plans to participate until her health declined. God has given us Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes Brown-Sherman as a mother, grandmother, friend, colleague, mentor, and so many other relationships. Her abiding belief in the power of education is a beacon to what can and should be done in Africa. Through It All, Mary's faith in God sustained her and gave daily meaning to her life and her loved ones. MABS, you are now home. We love you and will cherish your memory.

18 June 2004

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The End of an Era in Liberia's History: Eulogy to Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman President, University of Liberia 1978-1984

by Patrick L. N. Seyon

We have assembled here today with heavy hearts, grief-stricken, to say our final farewells to Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, educator par excellence, scholar, philosopher, nationalist, patriot, and, above all, a compassionate, loving, and decent human being. She was my professor in my freshman English class, and my mentor for a good part of my professional life. I owe a good part of what I am and stand for today to her. We, the members of her University of Liberia Family, extend our deepest condolences to the members of her natural families. Your grief and loss are shared by all of us, Liberia and Africa, as a whole, because Mary Antoinette belonged to all and all ages. We wish with all of our hearts that the situation had been different, so that we could have said our last goodbyes more appropriately in Liberia and at the University of Liberia, the country and institution she loved, and where she spent most of her professional life, and where we got to know and work with her, and have come away respect- ing, admiring, and loving her. Among other things, during her brief three-quarters century of life, Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman validated a simple, powerful social proposition: If you educate a boy, you only educate an individual. But if you educate a girl, you educate an entire community. So, she devoted her entire life and energy aggressively advocating for access to education, at all levels, for women, as she raised and nurtured her own community of scholars at the University of Liberia, her alma mater. The institution was her laboratory. Here she taught, administered a college, and then became president of the university, in one of the most tumultuous times in Liberia's and Africa's history. She taught her students three fundamental lessons: (1) social justice and democracy; (2) education and enlightenment for nation-building; and (3) rule of law. Her charge to them was to keep the flame, symbolizing these lessons, constantly burning in their hearts and minds, and never allow it to die, even if it meant losing their lives. Many of her students took their charge so seriously that they risked their lives, and were jailed and tortured during the turbulent years immediately before and during military rule in Liberia. She too was arrested and jailed for these principles. It was in recognition of the pivotal role she

Liberian Studies Journal, XXX, 1 (2005)

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played in advocating for rule of law, social justice, and democracy in Liberia that the military leaders, who seized power in 1980, named her "Mother of the Revolution." Liberia and Africa are blessed to have had Mary Antoinette, and they would have been better social environments, only if their ruling elite had been willing and committed to learning Dr. Sherman's lessons. She came to the presidency (1978 - 1984) at the university during a time of political upheavals, "great expectations" for socioeconomic betterment and democracy, and much uncertainty for the future both in Liberia and Africa. One of those uncertainties concerned the fate of the African university in the prevailing political storm, and its role in Africa's political and socioeconomic development. At the time, the university was looked upon by all as Africa's best chance and hope for a better future. However, during the decades of the 1970s and 1980s, Liberian and most African leaders, civilian and military, wanted to rule both their states and national universities. And that threatened the very concept, or "idea of the university," as we know it, and Africa's dream for a better future. Regrettably, the attack on the African university has placed Africa in its current predicament. Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, the first and only woman to head an African university then, understood the threat to Africa of the attack on the university. She, therefore, took on the challenge of ensuring that the African university, in general, and the University of Liberia, in particular, would become the vehicle for Africa's modernization, social transformation, democratization, and social justice, but would not lose their autonomy, nor surrender to tyranny. As chair of the Association of African Uni- versities, she advocated for and vigorously defended the university's autonomy against sergeants, generals, and presidents-for-life. Dr. Sherman adamantly maintained that the university, as an institution, had to operate above the corrupting political and social frays of the day, and could not take side in debate in the marketplace. However, she defended, with all her might and intellectual power, the rights of students and faculty, as citizens, exercising their civil and political rights, to participate fully in the political process and social change of their society. As a result, the University of Liberia campus and student newspaper became the de facto opposition voice, principally for students. And for that reason, twice, in 1979 and 1984, the campus was occupied by soldiers, in an attempt unsuccessfully, to intimidate and silence academic freedom, free speech, freedom of the press, and dissent. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman fully shared the view of the Irish statesman, Edmund Burke, that "All that is required for evil to triumph is that good men do nothing." She perceived the university as the standard by which to judge good and evil, truth and falsehood. So, she dedicated and spent her life fighting evil, correcting social wrongs and injustices, and defending truth with every muscle in her body. She spent most of her life trying to create a social environment for her society, making it better than when she met it. Now that Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman has quietly slipped away from us, June 3, 2004, it seems an Era in Liberia's and Africa's history has ended, with one of its PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 74 PATRICK L. N. SEYON

greatest defenders reluctantly surrendering to her mortality. It was an Era that was willing and committed itself to making the world a better and safer place for all its peoples, and transmitting and nurturing the humanity Africa bequeathed to the world. It recognized the uniqueness, dignity, and sanctity of every human life and sought to put in place and institutionalize measures to protect and secure it. It also perceived a world in which the basic human and social needs of all its peoples would be fully met, and in which the requisite opportunities and resources to explore and be whatever every individual was capable of being would be provided. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman was the embodiment of these lofty principles, and she made every effort to be an effective instrument for their implementation and full fulfillment. Now that she has left us, those of her students, whom she has equipped and empowered with knowledge, the intellectual tools, and social skills, and her colleagues must here commit and dedicate ourselves to continue her noble work, as a living memorial. If I had to write an epitaph for Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, it would read: Here lies Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, Who gave generously of her life to the service of her fellow human beings, particularly the poor, the powerless, and women. She passionately loved knowledge and led many to acquire and love it. Every life she touched was transformed into a contagious lover of humanity. She was a good Christian, and in obedience to her Savior Jesus Christ, she very truly "loved her neighbor as herself." May her soul rest in perpetual peace!

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Tribute to Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman

by Jane Martin

In this tribute to Mary Anoinette Brown Sherman, I speak on behalf of myself - a member of the History Department of the University of Liberia in the 1970s, Direc- tor of the U.S. Educational and Cultural Foundation in the 1980s and a long time student of Liberian history - but I also speak on behalf of some of the many Ameri- cans - Fulbrighters, teachers, researchers and scholars and peace corps members whose lives she touched. "Touched" is too mild a word. MABS' impact was electric - full of energy and vitality. And it was especially through those individual encounters that she made her mark on each of us. For she was truly interested in what one had to say. She had searching questions and ideas and she did not hesitate to challenge you. She wanted to hear your responses and continue the dialogue. I think that this is why I dreaded to ride in a car with her when she was the driver. She didn't concentrate on the road instead, she looked at you and talked to you! And that was a scary experience! This week as I reflected on MABS life, I talked with Americans who had known her in the 70s and early 80s. Everyone remembered her warmth and friendship, her high standards and sharp intellect, her lively support for research and scholarship - especially about Liberia - and her genuine patriotism. Many Americans who taught at the Teacher's College when she was dean told of her wonderful support. If your work was not up to par, said one colleague, she would give you presents of new books and curriculum materials, and praise you for your efforts to develop yourself. Another told of how MABS supported her when she was pressured by students or parents to change a grade. "stand up for what you believe," she said... and she did. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman stood up for her country She was proudly a Liberian, defending Liberia's interests, yet critical of Liberians as well as outsiders who indulged in stereotypes or misinterpreted events. She took pride in Liberia's history. More than that, she believed in and worked to preserve its traditions and artifacts and the records of the past. MABS's scrupulousness in maintaining her family papers and her work on the biography of her mother will be lasting tributes to her memory. She had a keen interest in the research projects in which many Americans and others were engaged, and she appreciated serious research efforts. She urged Americans to make their researches known to a wide community of Liberians, from 1968 onward I relished discussing my own projects with her - whether on Matilda Newport of Liberian Studies Journal,)00C,1 (2005)

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eastern Liberian history or Liberian women's peace efforts. She always had time to listen and of course to question and ponder over your conclusions. She followed through on such intellectual concerns. She supported the Liberian research association (and the Liberian studies association in the us). She launched the Julius Stevens lecture series at Teacher's College, she encouraged Liberians like Jangaba Johnson to introduce students to the history of different towns and communities in Liberia - and she herself went on some of the student trips. She always looked at Liberia as part of a rapidly changing Africa and a changing world. I remember her relationship with the Nigerian educator, Babs Fafunwa, and her contribution to his book on African education. Her long and close friendship with Adelaide Cromwell of Boston - which started when, as graduate students at Radcliffe College, they met in Harvard's widener library - had many fruitful results, including important meetings and publications on the African African-American connection in the early 80s. As I went through my old files this week and reflected especially on that period of the 70s and early 80s, I realized that I was not just looking at the life of a distinguished woman leader; I was drawn into the broader landscape and history of an era. At that time, the university was right in the center of deep and wide social movements and political challenges. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman was not afraid of this vortex, those winds of change. She was cautiously positive about the future and at the same time a guardian of the best of the past. And she never budged from her stand for the jndependence of the university and the rights of students and faculty and their involvement in the important movements of the day. She stood on their side and she pressured the powers that be. Her role is certainly recognized... and emulated. As one Liberian woman leader wrote from Liberia this week MABS was someone I truly admired as a great role model in public life. Do bid her farewell for us all who cannot be there to do so." To the wide and large and distinguished family of Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman - please accept my deepest sympathy on behalf of those Americans affected by her presence. May she live in perpetual peace in god's holy presence. And while we all bid her farewell, let us all vow to continue to be moved by her life.

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Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman: The Legacy

by Felicia Williams Lamptey

Mary Antoinette Hope Brown Sherman was the daughter of Louis Arthur Grimes and Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh Cheeseman Grimes. She was born in Monrovia on October 27, 1926, the only girl with four male siblings. Mary's father was a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia and her mother, Elizabeth, an industrious and God-fearing energetic teacher. She was of the Via ethnic group of Jondu, Grand Cape Mount County. As a young child Mary enjoyed the support of a loving nuclear and extended family. Mary even paid respects to both families in her acceptance speech as President of the University of Liberia. In that speech she hailed her "family first of Procreation and her family of Orientation". In her own words she wrote "I honor both families which have provided the intellectual stimulation, moral guidance, strength of relationships, expectation, financial and moral support, together with the warmth of affection which made it possible to acquire the requisite academic and professional qualification... ". Mary was born and raised during a period when female children nearly all over the world were not yet regarded as capable of being educated. Girls' role at that time in both Liberia and elsewhere was to raise children and support the educational and career ambitions of their husbands and male children. Yet Mary grew up to be the first in several prestigious positions in both school and at work. She was one of twelve female students of the first class of Liberia College to be awarded degrees in response to pleas by several educators including Professor Edward W. Blyden. Mary pioneered many of the avenues now opened to Liberian women today. After graduating from Liberia College she traveled to the United States for further education. She attended an all girls' school in Boston. Upon her return from Radcliffe College she joined the then independent William V.S. Tubman School of Teacher Training. This school later became The School of Education of the University of Liberia. A few years later the School of Education became the College ofTeacher Training of the University of Liberia and Mary became its first Dean from 1960-1975. Dr. Sherman continued her legacy as "first female" and became the first female Vice President for Academic Affairs of the University of Liberia in 1975. Three years later she became the first female President of the University of Liberia thus making her the first female to lead an institution of higher learning in all of Africa's then 150 institutions of higher learning. With all of Mary's achievements, she remained a life long "teacher", for this is what she claimed to be in her calm, quiet and unassuming life. She was a teacher first to her children Kederick, Marbue, and Lducia, plus her extended family which included nieces,

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nephews, cousins, and friends. She was a teacher also to all who came in contact with her, for whoever crossed Mary's path she was certain to make that cross an opportunity to teach a lesson either in words or in her deeds. Mary was a devout Christian child of God who believed in making her presence known by the exemplary way she lived her life despite her personal accomplishments both academically and financially. Mary's belief in the power of education especially for women was her legacy. Many she taught, mentored, and inspired will forever speak of her love for the development of education in Liberia specifically and Africa as a whole. Each stage of the life of Mary Antoinette is a legacy that can never be relinquished. As her parents gave her a legacy of love and pride, she also gave that as her legacy to the many family and friends who knew her.

Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman the wife, mother, and student of Education Mary's life seems so varied, she did so many things over her life that it almost appears that there wasn't one Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes Brown Sherman at all but several distinct people. But in looking at Mary's life, in examining the expectations against which she actually became we see a blending of a well rounded individual into one dynamic personality that is distinctly Liberian and African in its character. For only a woman of her persona could have gone through what Mary went through and still maintain a calm and cool character. In her early life as a young wife of only 35 years of age she suffered the loss of her husband Kederick W. Brown in 1962 leaving her a widow to raise three children. She did not only care for their financial and physical needs, she had to battle the trauma suffered by her children. This tragedy did not distract Mary from her eminent goal, to acquire the best and attain the highest level of education. A short time after this loss she traveled to the United States to pursue her future interest in a doctorate degree in education. Quite mindful of the tremendous responsibility she was about to take on she again put her family first in her final decision. Not only did she travel with her three children she also brought along with her several other extended family members. Children of cousins and siblings to whom she had given her word, to care for them and raise them as her own. How many of us after experiencing the sudden death of a young husband would even dare to think outside of our bereaved box? Mary Antoinette understood the gifts that she had and knew that through her sacrifice she would inevitable influence many other women who would find themselves in the quagmire of such a difficult situation. She understood quiet well that the talents she possessed were valued in her countrymen and women and so she basically had no other alternative, but to develop her talents, that made her the best skilled teacher possible. At an early stage of her professional career she recognized that allowing her, a female, to pursue this highest step in her academic training was an opportunity she could not resist for a minute. She was raised to value the importance of education. She was never known to take 'no' for an answer or to shy away from any opportunity that she felt could benefit others. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor THE LEGACY 79

In her acceptance address on the occasion of her induction as President of the University of Liberia she praised the efforts of individuals before her especially the efforts of Professor Edward W. Blyden for his role in making possible the admission of female students at the mentioned institution of higher learning. Mary's speech also complimented the American Association of University women for a grant awarded her during her studies at Cornell University even to the extent of making a concession in their policies to allow her to travel with her children. Whenever she had the opportunity she used herself to teach something new with her own example. In 1988 when responding to a question during an interview with the Liberia Pro- fessional Exchange concerning major education achievements in Liberia Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman said that: One of the major achievements of Liberian Education was the increased access of girls to education institutions between the 1960s and 1980s at all education levels, but especially at the high [secondary] school and collegiate levels where access had been most limited. Therefore the education of girls was certainly paramount to her.

Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman the educator. administrator and motivator Mary's involvement in education began a long time ago at an age as young as six years old. Having been home schooled by her mother until grade three, it is recorded that Mary was commonly seen playing school and playing the role of the teacher with other children her age. Therefore it was no surprise when she ended up becoming one of the best teachers and educators Liberia and the world had ever known. Although Mary was often discouraged from being a teacher, often reminded of the low paying salaries of teachers she would only smile and quickly attempt to change the topic as a way of discontinuing the discussion on a career choice for her. It was no wonder that Mary made it her business to adequately prepare herself for a career in education quite well. This began with her graduation in 1947 from Liberia College. As previously mentioned she was one of the seven students and a member of the first class that had female students at this institution. She then continued to Radcliffe, a sister institution of higher learning to Harvard University, since Harvard was then an all boys school. Mary graduated in 1949 with a Masters of Art degree in teaching. After graduation she returned to Liberia and married Kedrick Brown in 1951. Mary's Education career began to germinate when she served as an instructor of education at the William V.S. Tubman School of Teacher Training. A year later she served as an Advisor to Liberian students in the United State and Canada, while residing in the United States with her husband. When she returned to Liberia she continued to teach at the school of education and later became its director. She held a number of important positions at the University of Liberia before her elevation to the presidency of the institution in 1978.

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As President of the University she brought her all to the job, affecting changes from academic standards to expanded physical infrastructure and course offerings. Such was her ambition especially for the advancement of girls. Under her leadership at the Uni- versity numerous courses were offered. Course scheduling was revised to include late evening hours to encourage adult literacy for women. She preserved her role as a female President to be the voice of all disadvantaged woman in Liberia and indeed in Africa.

Legacy of a great Liberian Educator The life of Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman was about growth, about the intensely educated and passionate woman who understood the struggles of women when they were widely regarded as second class citizens in Liberia at that time. She was a worker who organized and preached by the example of her own life. All through her life even with her level of education she was a firm believer in the power of inclusiveness. For that reason she included people, those like herself a woman studying and raising families, joggling between school and professional career. She also included people who were not so fortunate to have the strength and goal to acquire greatness as Mary did. To all these people she was a motivator and a teacher. Mary was a realistic person who understood that there were no ready made answers to the problems of the nation at the time. However, she was quite sure that one of the basic challenges of the Liberian education system was the integration of the traditional and modern sectors into one whole for all Liberians. Realizing this need she tirelessly worked as President of the University to empower the University by offering courses that established interrelations among disciplines which lead to some understanding and raised awareness to the need for change even in the life style of Liberians. During her term as President of the University she realized the complexity of the Liberian society and the diversity of skills and talents. She championed the development of scholarly studies to identify new and innovative ways to channel this diversity into useful avenues of development that would meet the challenges of a new and developing society. Mary was a true African. She never lost sight of the fact that as an African woman she was mandated to teach by her example. Therefore whenever one saw Mary Antoinette the first thing you noticed was an African woman, soft spoken and dressed in proper African attire wherever she went. As a student myself at the University of Liberia during her tenure as dean of the William V.S. Tubman College of Teacher Training, I was often amazed at the level of pride it took for a woman of her status to wear an African print dress then, when most other educators of her rank were usually dressed in West- ern style suits and dresses. Such was the simplicity of the life of Mary Antoinette Hope Grimes Brown Sherman. She never pretended to be anything other than an educated African woman. No wonder at her elevation as President of the University of Liberia,

African woman on the continent were in great awe. Prior to writing this article 1 had PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor THE LEGACY 81

an opportunity to speak with a former co-worker of Dr. Sherman. She summed up her relationship with Dr. Sherman in these few words, "I know what she did for me was to encourage me to go back to school." I'm sure if one would speak to one hundred other people they too would express similar sentiments about their encounters with Dr. Sherman. She encouraged individuals whether she knew you or not. Mary spoke for the voiceless, for the people from whom not even some of the elected officials wanted to hear. She spoke for the jobless, for she sought ways to improve vocational education so that individuals without a College education could be able to get jobs. She spoke for the young women who were not welcome in institutions of higher learning. She spoke for even educated women who saw themselves as minority in a world in which women had to prove themselves beyond steps higher than males of their ranks. Mary had walked in their shoes and people knew it when they heard her speak. She understood the alienation felt by our traditional sector; for she worked to include their knowledge, skills and talents in the overall education structure of Liberia. Mary cared for the children of Liberia. She always maintained that teaching was a profession and that the children in the classrooms deserve the best possible instruction. She worked for the advancement of the profession often seen on the front line advocating for teachers in Liberia. She was just as much concerned about the limited training facilities for teachers in Liberia. She talked and wrote about the inequities in the com- pensation to teachers compared to other professions of similar training. The lack of pension and poor working conditions of teachers was top on her list. Mary was one of Africa's best leaders of all times. She led the University of Liberia during a period when Liberia witnessed its most intense civil unrest which resulting in the death of thousands of Liberians. She was the major source of strength for faculty, staff, and students of the University when in 1984 they were brutally attacked by the armed forces. Mary was a courageous leader who held the university community together during the early post-1980 coup days. Through it all she never wavered in her commitment to Liberia's education system. Mary was a strong woman of valor and an adorable woman of faith in God. Through all the trials and tribulations that marked her life, she walked with pride and firm belief in the God she served all her life. Dr. Sherman began and ended her daily duties with thanksgiving to God for his favors to her. She will be remembered for her message of hope and her ability to remain a simple teacher in the midst of so many accomplishments. She will be remembered for her silent and yet vigorous advocacy for the empowerment of woman. Dr. Sherman will be remembered as a great African woman of exemplary leadership. I know that I will remember her as that frail and thin looking woman dressed in elegant African dress, strong as an iron rod, determined and accomplished in her thought processes and in her deeds.

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Selected References 1. Sherman, Brown Antoinette: The Challenges to Higher Education in Liberia 1978, March, 31. 2. The Liberian Professional Exchange: Interview of Liberian Exchange with Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, August, 1988. 3. Aisiku, J.U, Fafunwa, Babs. A Ed: Education n Africa: A Comparative Survey, George Allen & Unwin: London. 4. Government of Liberia: Liberia Official Gazette, June 16, 2004. 5. Smyke J. Raymond: Tribute to Dr. Mary Hope Grimes Brown-Sherman.

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Tribute to Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman at Wakekeeping on June 18, 2004

by D. Elwood Dunn

On this occasion, both sad and celebratory, of the passing of a great Liberian, a devout Episcopalian, a personal colleague and friend, my spouse, Matilda joins me in extending condolences to the immediate and extended family. May Mary Antoinette's soul rest in peace! I first met the deceased at a distance when she attended in the late 1950s in Grand Bassa County a meeting of the National Teachers Association of Liberia. I was then in high school. I also encountered her at a distance when I enrolled in the early 1960s as a student at the University of Liberia. By the mid 1970s when I returned home from graduate school I came to know up close this remarkable woman. The first significant occasion was when her vision of a University was at variance with the then leadership of the University of Liberia, and her decision, as a consequence, to resign her position as Dean of Teachers College. Some interesting political dynamics ensued that saw her quickly restored to her place at the institution and in short order appointed vice president for academic affairs of the University. Some three years later she became the first female president of the institution during the national administration of the late President William R. Tolbert, Jr. Some would remember well the heady days of the late 1970s, a time of great challenge for Liberia, the challenge of change in a society that appeared divided against itself. During the national crisis of April 1979 I found myself as one channel of communication between President Brown-Sherman of the University of Liberia and President Tolbert of the Republic of Liberia. I acted then as Minister of State for Presidential Affairs. Much transpired! In the larger scheme of things, Liberia lost a battle but lived to continue the struggle for social justice, a struggle that remained central to Mary Antoinette the educator, the leader, the scholar. As political circumstances in Liberia in the mid-1980s forced her out of the country, she (and her husband of sainted memory, Professor George Flamma Sherman, 1913-1999) readily joined the Liberian studies community. What she accomplished for the duration of her career will no doubt be highlighted here in tributes this week- end. Others will be reflected in a special number of the Liberian Studies Journal, while still others will continue into the future as efforts are made to capture the contributions of this remarkable woman to Liberian education and to scholarship.

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Historically, she was among a small number of Liberian educators who understood the nature of the nation's educational imperative. Liberia, one might recall, began as two distinct cultural communities. Building upon the Pan-African Patriot Edward Wilmot Blyden, an intellectual mentor of the deceased, she was interested in the possibilities of both communities, in the possibilities of a blended community, but one that appreciated, understood and utilized the African cultural heritage in the forging of a modem nation-state. In fact she embodied the experiences - or, shall I say the hopes and fears - of both communities. Her doctoral thesis at Cornell bears eloquent testimony to this as she sought to trace the history of traditional education in pre- Liberia and the educational endeavors of early Liberia, framed in a paradigm of national development. Much of her life's work entailed, at times quite literally, convey- ing the realities of one community of Liberians to the other community of Liberians. May we, Liberians and friends of Liberia, mark the passing of this remarkable woman by emulating her example and sustaining our strivings until TRUE NATIONAL UNI- FICATION comes to Liberia.

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A Tribute to Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman

by James S. Guseh

On behalf of the Liberian Studies Association, I extend condolences to the entire family of our deceased colleague, particularly her two sons, Kedrick and Marbue Brown, and her one surviving brother, J. Rudolph Grimes. The Liberian Studies Association has lost a dedicated and committed member who was a noted educator and scholar. As President of the University of Liberia from 1978 to 1984, Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman became the first woman to serve as president of a national university in Africa Dr. Brown Sherman was truly a dedicated scholar and a visionary academic administrator who remained committed to Liberian higher education in national development. She felt that one of the most basic challenges facing Liberia is the integration of the traditional and modern sectors of our country. In her induction address as President of the University of Liberia, on March 31, 1978, she challenged scholars to launch appropriate studies, experimental and innovative projects to help find answers to this issue. She was a strong advocate of investment in higher education for national development. She believed that the University of Liberia should be adapted to meet the needs of the country-its economic development and its traditions. She said: "Build we must for higher education, and build we will." And she did build. During her administration, she provided the requisite leadership for the renewal of the University of Liberia. Plans were underway for a Master's degree program in agriculture. A new engineering facility was almost completed by 1984 when the military government ordered an armed assault on the campus of the University. Although government's contribution to the University was declining, she enhanced the University's capacity to generate funds from other sources, such as research and endowment. The deteriorating political situation in the country during the 1980s forced her into exile in 1986 to the United States, where she actively continued her scholarly pursuits. She served as visiting professor at Ohio State University and Cornell Univer- sity. She also served as a consultant to the World Bank on education. Cornell Univer- sity invited her again in 1992 to participate in the "Conference on Empowerment, Gender and Social Change in Africa and the African Diaspora." She presented a paper entitled "Liberian Women and Development: Identifying Structures for Survival and

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Empowerment." Her earlier role in Diaspora Studies was to be beneficial at the Cornell gathering of scholars. It can be recalled that it was during her presidency in the early 1980s when the first international conference on the roles and interconnections of Africans and African-Americans-in the Diaspora was held at the University of Liberia. She closely followed research and developments in Liberian higher education and contributed to the debate in the literature. For example, on the issue of what academic programs should be offered by the University of Liberia and by Cuttington University College, she commented in the 1994 issue of the Liberian Studies Journal that: [A]s I have spent most of my professional life working in higher education in Liberia (1956-1984), at the institution at the apex of higher education in the country, the University of Liberia,... I would be amiss if [I] did not offer a few critical comments.... She continued:

I believe the nation would be better served if appropriate relationships are established between the University of Liberia, Cuttington University College and other institutions at this level; if opportunities are explored for cooperative efforts on pressing problems.... She participated in many Liberian Studies Association Conferences. For example, she presented a seminal paper at the 21st Annual LSA Conference at Glassboro State College, Glassboro, NJ, hosted by Dr. Patrick Burrowes. Her paper was entitled: "A Perspective on Education in Liberia." At the 33rd Annual LSA Conference at Delaware State University, hosted by Dr. Cyril Broderick, I recalled that that my presentation was scheduled at 8 in the morning. I really did not expect many people to attend that early session. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman sitting there that morning. I also met her at the 34th Annual Conference of the LSA at the University of Pennsylvania, hosted by Dr. AI-Hassan Conteh. When your humble servant hosted the 36th Annual Conference at North Carolina Central University the spring of this year, we received word that she was scheduled to come, but her health prevented her from coming at the last minute. Over all these years, Dr. Brown Sherman taught us about being committed to Liberian Studies. We will miss her scholarship, counsel, forbearance, and commitment to social justice. The Liberian Studies Association will always cherish the honored memory of Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman because of her invaluable contributions to Liberian higher education and Liberian Studies. Dr. James S. Guseh President, Liberian Studies Association North Carolina Central University Durham, North Carolina PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 87

Writings and Other Scholarly Activities of Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman

Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The Challenges To Higher Education in Liberia" An address deliverd on the occasion of her induction into office, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, March 31, 1978. 15 pp.

Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Brown, "Academic 79 - Academic 1983," Uni- versity of Liberia Commencement Addresses. "A Perspective on Education in Liberia" Paper presented at 21" Annual Conference of the Liberian Studies Association, Glassboro State College, 1987. "LIFE SKETCHES OF THE CHIEF JUSTICES OF THE HONOURABLE THE SUPREME COURT OF LIBERIA, 1848-1945", Monrovia, Liberia, December 15, 1944, 10 pp. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The African Republic of Liberia," Radcliffe Quarterly, February, 1956. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Education in Liberia," Educational Horizons, Winter 1956, Reprinted in Ghana Teachers Journal, January, 1959. REGISTER OF GRADUATES, Centennial issue, 1962 [Compiling Committee chaired by Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman]. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Educational Aspirations in Liberia," West Afri- can Journal of Education, vol. 2, no. 2, June, 1965. M.A. Brown, "Editorial", Liberian Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, Dec. 1967, p.1. Publica- tion of the Liberian Research Association at the Tubman Center of African Culture. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "EDUCATION AND NATIONAL DEVEL- OPMENT IN LIBERIA, 1800-1900", PhD dissertation, Cornell University, 1967, 240 pp. Presidential Address to the Semi-Annual Conference of the Liberian Research Association Held April 5, 1968 At Cuttington College, Suracoco, Liberia, Liberian Research Association Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, December 1968, pp 5-7. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Problems and Issues in Liberian Education," WCOTP occasional Papers no. 10, May 1969. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Education For A Developing Liberia," The First Christian H.W. Baker Annual Lecture of Cuttington College and Divinity School,

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November, 1971, reprinted in Liberian Research Association Journal, vol. iii, no. 3, 1971. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Some Liberian Intellectuals in the Nineteenth Century: An Appraisal", Liberian Studies Journal, vol. 1, no. 2, 1975. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brwon, HONORARY DEGREES CONFERRED BY LIBERIA COLLEGE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA: A COMPILATION (With John J. Kaifar), University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, September, 1977. 11 pp. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The Role of Indigenous Education in Mass Education," Maxi Conference of the Association for Teacher Education in Africa, University of Liberia, December 10-17, 1977. "THE CHALLENGES TO HIGHER EDUCATION IN LIBERIA", Address Delivered at the Induction Ceremony as President, University of Liberia, March 31, 1978. 15 pages. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Welcome Remarks, Workshop of the Interna- tional Association for Housing Science, University of Liberia, April 21, 1978. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Statement to the University Council, Univer- sity of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia, September 7, 1978. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Statement" on Presentation of Scientific Equip- ment to the University of Liberia by the United States Educational and Cultural Foun- dation, March 17, 1980. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Statement at presentation ceremony of the Plague Won by the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia October 31, 1980. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Remarks on the Occasion of the Tenth Anni- versary of the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine, September 29, 1978. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The University and Continuing Education," Fifth General Conference of the Association of African Universities, Yamoussoukro, Cote D'Ivoire, 1980. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The Liberian Nation in a Revolutionary Era" Graduation Address, St. Augustine Episcopal High School, Sunday, December 6, 1981. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Effectiveness in Teaching- The Role of Teach- ing Practice" International Conference on Teaching Practice, University of Nigeria, Nsuka, Nigeria, March 4-7, 1981. "Mobilizing the Masses in Revolutionary Liberia For a Better Society," Address delivered at National Workshop As Part of The National Redemption Day Celebra- tion sponsored by the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism, Monrovia, City Hall, April 1-4, 1981. 12 pp. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 89

Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Each Tomorrow Implies a Today," Liberian Age, vol. 32, no. 26 April 3, 1981. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Welcome Statement, Opening Ceremony, National Conference on Education, University of Liberia, July 19,1981. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Education in Liberia" (pp162-187) in A. Babs Fafunwa and J.U. Aisiku, Education in Africa, A Comparative Survey, London: George Allen & Unwin, 1982. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Mobilizing the Masses in Revolutionary Liberia for A Better Society," Liberia Today, January, 1982. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Focus on The Silent Majority: An Approach to Empowerment Through Human Development in Sub-Saharan Africa," presented to Panel on Human Resource Development as Tool of Empowerment at conference on the Interdependence of Human Rights and Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Blueprint for Democratization in the 21st century, Lincoln University, Penn- sylvania April 2, 1982. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Social Resources and Constraints Affecting the Status of Black Women: The African Case," Conference on Black Women as Part- ners in Development, Bellagio Conference Center, August 2-27, 1982. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Remarks on the Occasion of Installation of the officers of the Liberia Association of Writers, University of Liberia, October 9, 1982. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The Cultural Dimensions of Development," Third Meeting of the International Coordinating Committee of Development Asso- ciation. Outline of Issues presented at Round Table No. 2 on Cultural Dimensions of Development Associations, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 7-9, 1983. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown Statement at UL Special Assembly for the Launch- ing of the Graduate Programs, University of Liberia, September 5, 1983. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, NEIDA Language Development Workshop, University of Liberia, October 16, 1983. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, Welcome Statement, Opening of the Seminar on the Dynamics of the African-American Connection, University of Liberia, 1983. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Teaching Education for Women in Rural Development," Rural Africana. Nos. 25029 (Spring - Fall, 1987). Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, A review of Donald Spivak's The Politics of Miseducation; The Booker Washington Institute of Liberia, 1929-1984, Liberian Studies

Journal, vol. 12, no. 1 (1987), pp 88-93. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The Crisis in Liberian Education", Bulletin, Association of Concerned Africa Scholars, No. 25, Fall, 1988. PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 90

Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Striving for Excellence," Delivered at the Gradu- ation Exercises of Konola Academy, Konola, Liberia, December 7, 1979. Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "The University in Modern Africa: Toward the Twenty-first Century," The Journal of Higher Education, vol. 61, no. 4 (July/August, 1990). Sherman, Mary Antoinette Brown, "Liberian Women and Development: identifying Structures for Survival and Empowerment," Symposium Presentation, Cornell University, 1992. Barclay Women In Liberia - Two Generations: A biographical Dictionary, (A Jellemoh Publication), Middletown, New Jersey, 2000, 15 pp. Foreword to Clarene E. Zamba Liberty's Growth ofthe Liberian State: An Analysis of its Historiography, The New World African Press, 2002, pp ii-v.

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Curriculum Vitae Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman

I. General Background Information

Nationality: Liberian Date of Birth: October 27, 1926 Religion: Christian Marital Status: Married Spouse: G. Flamma Sherman Parents: Louis Arthur Grimes and Victoria Elizabeth Jellemoh Grimes

II. Academic Background

Cornell University Doctor of Philosophy Degree 1967 Ithaca, New York United States of America

Radcliffe College Masters of Arts in Teaching Degree 1949 Cambridge, Massachusettes United States of America

Liberia College Bachelor of Arts Degree 1942 (now University of Liberia) Monrovia, Liberia

III. Positions Held

1988-1990 Visiting Professor Cornell University Ithaca, New York

1986-1987 Distinguished Visiting Scholar The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio

1984-1986 Self Employed

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1978-1984 President, University of Liberia

1975-1978 Vice President of Academic Affairs University of Liberia

1960-1975 Dean, The William V. S. Tubman Teachers College University of Liberia (Study Leave - 1963-1967)

1956-1959 Director, The William V. S. Tubman School of Teacher Training University of Liberia

1954-1956 Advisor to Liberian Students in the United States of American and Canada

1950 Instructor, The William V.S. Tubman School of Teacher Training (then an independent institution)

IV. Distinction Presidential Decoration: Grand Band, Order of the Star of Africa, Republic of Liberia, 1972

Professor of the Year University of Liberia, 1969

AAUW (American Association of University Woman) Fallow, 1963-1966

V. Professional Organizations Member of the Executive Committee Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESRIA), 1982-1985

Member of the Executive Board Association of African Universities 1982-1984

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Life Member, International Council on Education for Teaching, 1981-

Chairman, The National Scholarship Committee, 1973-1978 Member, The Mano River Union Training and Research Board, 1976-1978

President, Liberian Research Association, 1967-1972

Chairperson, West African Council for Teacher Education (WACTED, later called Western Council of the Association for Teacher Education in Africa ATEA), 1974-1975

Vice Chairperson, Western Council (ATEA), 1973-1974

Member, Committee on Studies and Projects, (ATEA), 1974-1975

Executive Committee Member (ATEA), 1970-1975

W. Major Works

1. Published

"The University in Modern Africa: Toward the Twenty-First Century," The Journal of Higher Education, vol. 61, no. 4 (July/August, 1990).

"The Crisis in Liberian Education," Bulletin, Association ofConcerned Africa Scholars, no. 25, Fall, 1988.

"Teacher Education for Women in Rural Development," Rural African, Nos. 28-29 (Spring - Fall, 1987).

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"Education in Liberia" in A. Babs Fafunwa and J. U. Aisiku, Education in Africa: A Comparative Survey, George Allen & Unwin (Publishers) Ltd., 1982.

"Mobilizing the Masses in Revolutionary Liberia for a Better Society," Liberia Today, January, 1982.

"Some Liberian Intellectuals in the Nineteenth Century: An Appraisal," Liberian Studies Journal, vol. 6, no. 2, 1975.

"Edward W. Blyden: Educational Views," Liberian Studies Journal, vol. 4, no. 1, 1971-1972.

"Education for a Developing Liberia," The First Christian E. W. Baker Annual Lecture of Cuttington College and Divinity School, November 1971, reprinted in Liberian Research Association Journal, vol.IIL, no. 3, 1971.

"Problems and Issues in Liberian Education," WCOTP Occasional Papers no. 10, May, 1969.

"Educational Aspirations in Liberia," West African Journal of Education, vol. 7, no. 2, June, 1965.

"Education in Liberia," Educational Horizons, Winter, 1956, Reprinted in Ghana, Teachers Journal, January, 1959.

"The African Republic of Liberia," Radcliffe Quarterly, February, 1956.

2. Unpublished

"Liberian Women and Development: Identifying Structures for Survival and Empowerment", Conference on Empowerment, Gender and Social Change in Africa and the African ...," Cornell University, Ithica, New York, May 28-June 3, 1992.

"Focus on the Silent Majority: An Approach to Empowerment Through Human Development in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Blueprint for Democratization in the Twenty-First Century," Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, April 1-3, 1982.

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"The State and the University in Africa: In Quest for Intellectual Freedom and Development," Council for the Development of Economic and Social Research in Africa (CODESTIA) Symposium on Academic Freedom Research and the Social Responsibility of the Intellectual in Africa, 26-27 November, 1990, Kampala, Uganda.

"The African University and the Challenge of Endigenous Development in Africa," 32nd Annual Meeting, African Studies Association, Atlanta, Georgia, November, 1989.

"A Perspective on Education in Liberia," 21 " Annual Liberian Studies Association Conference, Glassboro State College, Glassboro, New Jersey, USA, March, 1989.

"Effectiveness in Teaching - The Role of Teaching Practice," International Conference on Teaching Practice, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria, March, 1981.

"The University and Continuing Education," Fifth General Conference of the Association of African Universities, Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast, December, 1980.

"The Challenges to Higher Education in Liberia," Address at Induction Ceremony as President, University of Liberia, Monrovia, March, 1975.

"The Role of Indigenous Education in Mass Education", read at the Maxi Conference at the TEA, University of Ibadan, Nigeria, December, 1977.

"The Church's Role, Involvement and Participation in the Future in Education in Africa," read at the Educational Conference of the All Africa Conference of Churches, Freetown, Sierra Leone, December, 1972.

"Education and National Development in Liberia, 1800-1900," Ph.D. Thesis, Cornell University, 1963.

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Additional Information

Married 1950-1962 to Kendrick Wellington Brown who pre-deceased me in 1962.

Children: Kendrick Wellington Brown, Jr. 1952 Victoria Angeline Lducia Brown 1955 (died 1967) Byrd Arthur Marbue Brown 1960

In addition to being the natural mother of the three children listed above, I have been mother in our Liberian Extended Family System of a number of other children.

I have successfully combined marriage and professional career, and am the first women to become President of the University of Liberia and a university in Africa.

Prepared June 26, 1992

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Presidents Liberia College/University of Liberia

Joseph Jenkins Roberts, 1863-1876 Martin Henry Freeman, 1876-1878 John B. Pinney, 1878-1881 Edward Wilmot Blyden, 1881-1886 Martin Henry Freeman, 1886-1889 Garretson Wilmot Gibson, 1890-1895 Orator F. Cook, 1895-1899 Garretson Wilmot Gibson, 1900-1901 Arthur Barclay, 1901-1902 Robert Baker Richardson, 1902-1912 Robert J. Clarke, 1912 John A. Simpson, 1912-1913 James Jenkins Dossen, 1913-1914 Arthur Barclay, 1914-1917 Charles Dunbar Burgess King, 1917-1918 Nathaniel H. B. Cassell, 1918-1934 Samuel Jason Taylor, 1935-1936 Thomas Ebenezer Ward, 1937-1950 J. Max Bond, 1950-1954 Kermit C. King, 1954-1958 Rocheforte L. Weeks, 1958-1972 Advertus A. Hoff, 1972-1975 John Bernard Blamo, 1975-1978 Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman, 1978-1984 Joseph G. Morris, 1984-1988 Stephen M. Yekeson, 1988-1990 Patrick L.N. Seyon, 1991-1996 Frederick Gbegbe, 1996-1999 Ben Roberts, 1999-2003 James Kollie, 2003-2004 Al-Hassan Conteh, 2004 -

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New Studies on or Relevant to Liberia

Akindele, R. A. editor. Civil Society, Good Governance, and the Challenge ofRegional Security in West Africa. Ibadan: Vantage, 2003.

Allen, C. William. The African Interior Mission. Cherry Hill, NJ: Africana Home- stead Legacy Publishers, 2003.

Aning, Emanuel Kwesi. "Liberia: Civil War, ECOMOG, and the Return to Civil- ian Rule" in Kevin Shillington, ed., The Encyclopedia ofAfrican History. Vol. 2, Routledge, 2005.

Arnold, Guy. "Liberia: Doe, Samuel K., Life and Era of" in Kevin Shillington, ed., The Encyclopedia ofAfrican History African History Vol. 2 New York: Routledge, 2005.

Banks, Russell. The Darling. New York: Harper Collins, 2005

Barnes, Kenneth C. Journey of Hope: The Back-to-African Movement in Arkansas in the Late 1800s. Chapel Hill and London: University of North Carolina Press, 2004.

Belt-Beyan, Phyllis M. The Emergence ofAfrican American Literacy Traditions Fam- ily and Community Efforts in the Nineteenth Century. Westport, Connecticut: Green- wood Press, 2004.

Beyan, Amos Jones. "Blyden, E. W.: 1832-1912" in Kevin Shillington, ed., Ency-

clopedia of African History Vol. 1 New York: Routledge, 2005.

Beyan, Amos Jones. "Mane: Migrations, Sixteenth Century, History of" in Kevin Shillingtong, ed., Encyclopedia of African History Vol. 2 New York: Routledge, 2005

Browne, Dallas L. "Liberia: Tubman, William V. S., Life and Era of" in Kevin Shillington, ed., Encyclopedia ofAfrican History Vol. 2 New York: Routledge, 2005.

Browne, Dallas L. "Liberia: Tolbert, William Richard, Life and Era of" in Kevin Shillington, ed., The Encyclopedia ofAfrican History Vol. 2, New York: Routledge, 2005.

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Burrowes, Carl Patrick. Power and Press Freedom in Liberia, 1830-1970: The Impact of Globalization and Civil Society on Media-Government Relations. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2004.

Cain, Kenneth, Heidi Postlewait, Andrew Thompson. Emergency Sex and Other Desperate Measures: A True Story from Hell. Miramax Books, 2004.

Clegg, Claude A. The Price of Liberty: African Americans and the Making of Liberia. Chapel Hill and London: University Press of North Carolina, 2004.

Delany, Martin Robison. The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States; An Official Report of the Niger Valley Exploring Party, with an introduction by Toyin Falola. Amherst: Humanity Books, 2004.

Desk Study on the Environment in Liberia. Nairobi: United Nations Environment Programme, 2004.

Dubois, Muriel L. Liberia: A Question and Answer Book. Mankato, Minn: Capstone Press, 2005.

Dunn-Marcos, Robin, Konia T Kollehlon, Bernard Ngovo, eds. Liberians: An Introduction to their History and Culture. Washington D.C.: Center for Applied Lin- guistics, April 2005; at wwvv.culturalorientation.net.

Duyvesteyn, Isabelle. Clausewitz and African Wars: Politics and Strategy in Liberia and Somalia. New York: Routledge, 2004.

Fairhead, James, Tim Geysbeek, Svend E. Holsoe, and Melissa Leach, eds., African- American Exploration in West Africa: Four Nineteenth-Century Diaries. Bloomington, Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2003.

Farah, Douglas. Blood From Stones: The Secret Financial Network of Terror. New York: Broadway, 2004.

Francis, David J. Dangers of Co-Deployment: UN Co-Operative Peacekeeping in Africa. Aldershot, Hants, England; Burlington, VT: Ashgate Pbs., 2004.

French, Howard W. A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2004. (two chapters on Liberia)

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Gay, John. Africa: A Dream Deferred. Northridge, CA: New Africa World Press, 2004.

George, Rose. A Life Removed: Hunting for Refuge in the Modern World. Penguin, 2004.

Geysbeek, Tim. "The Anderson-d'011one Controversy of 1903-04: Race, Imperi- alism, and the Reconfiguration of the Liberia-Guinea Border." History in Africa 31 (2004): 185-213.

Ikechi, Mgbeoji. Collective Security: The Liberian Crisis, Unilateralism, and Global Order. Vancouver: UBC Press, 2003.

Jaye, Thomas. Issues of Sovereignty, Strategy, and Security in the Economic Community ofWest African States (ECOWAS) Intervention in the Liberian Civil War. Lewiston: Edwin Mellen Press, 2003.

Johnson, Tarnue. Education and Social Change in Liberia: New Perspectives for the 21" Century. Bloomington, IN: Author House Publishing.

Levitt, Jeremy I. The Evolution ofDeadly Conflict in Liberia: From Taternaltarianism' to State Collapse. Durham: Carolina Academic Press, 2005.

Lewis, Ophelia S. My Dear Liberia: Recollections, Poetic Memories From my Heart. Pine Lake, GA: Village Tales Publishing, 2004.

Liberia. Washington D.C.: Central Intelligence Agency, 2004.

Liberia. Economics Intelligence Unit. London; New York: Economist Intelligence Unit, 2004.

Liberia: Chronicle of Human Rights Violations Under the Government of President Charles Taylor, September 1997 to April 2002. Ghana: Media Foundation for West Africa.

Liberian Women Peacekeepers Fighting for the Right to be Seen, Heard, and Counted. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 2004.

Luyben, Karl. By Faith - as I Recall: Liberia, Land of Liberty. Fairfax, VA: Xulon Press, 2002.

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Marten, James, editor. Children and War: A Historical Anthology. New York: New York University Press, 2002.

Meadows, David E. Liberia (Joint Task Force, Book 1). New York: Berkley Publish- ing Group, 2003.

Miller, Debra A. Liberia. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2004.

Mourtada, Deme. Law, Morality, and International Armed Intervention: the United Nations and ECOWAS in Liberia. New York: Routledge, 2005.

Movement for Democratic Change in Liberia. Monrovia: Movement for Demo- cratic Change in Liberia [electronic resource].

Ng, Yumi. Welcome to Liberia. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Pbs., 2004.

Ogbogbo, C. B. N. "Monrovia" in Kevin Shillington, ed., The Encyclopedia ofAfri- can History. New York: Routledge, 2005.

Paye, Won-Ldy, and Margret H. Lippert. Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile. New York: H. Holt, 2003.

Powers, William D. Blue Clay People: Two Years in Liberia. New York: Bloomsbury Press, 2005.

Reed, Holly. Research Ethics in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: A Summary of a Workshop. Washington D.C.: National Academy Press, 2002.

Reef, Catherine. This Our Dark Country: The American Settlers of Liberia. New York: Clarion Books, 2002.

Samuel Broomfield Reeves. Congregation-to-Congregation Relationship: A Case Study of the Partnership Between a Liberian Church and a North American Church. Lanham: University Press of America, 2004.

Reeves, William K, edited by Nicholas Bayard. The Native Boy: An Autobiography of a Man from Nyaake. Northridge, CA: New World African Press, 2004.

Rozario, Paul. Liberia. Milwaukee: Gareth Stevens Pbs., 2003.

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Sankawulo, Milton. Sundown at Dawn: A Liberian Odyssey. Houston, TX: Dusty Spark Publishing, 2005.

Smith, David. The African American Presidents: The Founding Fathers of Liberia, 1848-1904. Atlanta: New African American History Press, c. 2004.

Smyke, Raymond J. The First African Diplomat: Momolu Massaquoi, 1870-1938. Philadelphia: Xlibris Corporation: 2005.

Stryker III, Richard Lane. Forged From Chaos: Ctories and Reflections From Liberia

at War. Bloomington: 1 st Books Library, 2003.

Wesley, Patricia Jabbeh. Becoming Ebony. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois Univer- sity Press, 2003.

Yoder, John C. "Liberia, Nineteenth Century: Origins and Foundations" in Kevin Shillington, ed., The Encyclopedia ofAfrican History. Vol. 2 New York: Routledge, 2005.

Yoder John C. Liberia, Nineteenth Century: Politics, Society, and Economics in Kevin Shillington, ed. The Encyclopedia ofAfrican History. Vol. 2 New York, Routledge, 2005.

Youboty, James. A Nation in Terror: The True Story ofthe Liberian Civil War. Parkside Impressions Enterprises, 2004.

Van Sickle, Eugene S. "A Transnational Vision John H. Latrobe and Maryland's African Colonization Movement," Ph.D. Dissertation, West Virginia University, 2005.

Walters, Joseph J. Guanya Pau: A Story of an African Princess, edited by Gareth Griffiths and John Victor Singler. Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Editions, 2004.

Forthcoming Beyan, Amos Jones. African American Settlements in West Africa: John Brown Russwurm and the American Civilizing Efforts. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. (Sept. 05)

Burin, Eric. Slavery and the Peculiar Solution: A History of theAmerican Colonization Society. Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2005 (Aug. 05)

Lulat, Y. G-M. A History of African Higher Education From Antiquity to the Present: a Critical synthesis. Westport: Praeger Publishers., 2005. (Aug. 05) PDF compression, OCR, web optimization using a watermarked evaluation copy of CVISION PDFCompressor 103

Sawyer, Amos. Beyond Plunder: Toward Democratic Governance in Liberia. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Pubs, 2005. (Sept. 05)

Schlichte, Klaus, ed. The Dynamics ofStates: The Formation and Crises ofState domination. Aldershot, Hants, England; Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2005 (July 05)

Zartman, I. William. Cowardly Lions: Missed Opportunities to Prevent Deatly Con- flict and State Collapse. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Pbs., 2005. (Aug. 05)

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Financial Report, Liberian Studies Association October 2003 - April 2005*

Income: Membership renewals, library subscriptions, and sale of books: $3234.58

Total Income: $3234.58

Expenses: Postage: $175.00 Office Supplies: $29.61 Jackie Sayegh (costs related to 2003 meeting): $100.00 James Guseh (costs related to 2004 meeting): $410.43 Abdoulaye Duke le (costs related to 2004 meeting): $90.00 Friends of the Liberia Collection (warehouse storage of back issues, set up, inventory, and labeling; website design, production, and maintenance): $1500.00 Verlon Stone (costs of moving back issues from North Carolina to Indiana): $1123.04 Sheridan Books (storage of negatives): $792.00 Sheridan Books (production of LSJ Vol 29/2): $1632.00 Sheridan Books (distribution and postage for LSJ Vol. 29/2): $459.21

Total Expenses: $6293.29

February 2005 Bank Balance: $5969.76

* Prepared by Dr. Mary Moran, Secretary-Treasurer, Liberian Studies Association

Liberian Studies Journal,XXX, 1 (2005)

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April 12, 2005

Ronald Davis Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Director, Deither H. Haenicke Institute for International and Area Studies Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI 49008

Dear Dr. Davis,

On behalf of the Liberian Studies Association I write to extend our warmest thanks for your generosity in hosting the 37th annual meeting of the Liberian Studies Association. Speaking for all the members in attendance, I commend you on the beauty of your campus and facilities, the efficiency and professionalism of your staff, and the genuine hospitality with which we were received in Kalamazoo. The outstanding dedication and hard work of the organizers, Dr. Phyllis Belt-Beyan and Dr. Amos Beyan, was manifest in the scholarly program and all the related activities. In absorbing so many of the costs of the meeting, Western Michigan University has made an important contribution to the Liberian Studies Association in that now we will be able to direct more of our modest resources towards the production of our journal. The contribution to scholarship on Liberia that your institution has made, therefore, extends beyond the presentation of papers at the meeting itself.

Please convey our thanks and appreciation to others in your administration who have made possible such successful meetings and for your continued support for Liberian studies.

Sincerely,

Mary H. Moran Secretary/Treasurer Liberian Studies Association

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Friends of Liberia's Mission and Accomplishments*

Friends of Liberia (FOL) is an internationally recognized non-governmental and non-profit organization that assists Liberians in rehabilitation and development. FOL focuses on education, human rights, community development, and good governance. FOL works through innovative projects that are supported by a committed volunteer base. Founded in 1986, FOL has approximately 800 members, including returned Peace Corps Volunteers, diplomats, missionaries, scholars, business people, and Liberians. The FOL website can be viewed at www.fol.org FOL has found several effective ways to achieve its goals. During the first Liberian civil conflict, the group engaged in relief efforts and peace mediation. FOL's advocacy efforts, including congressional testimony, are a mainstay of FOL activities. A 35-member delegation observed the 1997 election in Liberia. In collaboration with the New African Research and Development Agency (NARDA) and funded by USIP and ADB, FOL managed and planned an NGO Post- Conflict Conference in Monrovia in February 1999. The conference brought together post-conflict specialists and local NGOs engaged in peace building, reconciliation, and reconstruction. FOL's Communities Nurturing Children project has helped rebuild elementary schools and medical clinics in the Johnsonville, Owensgrove, and the Sugar Hill communities. The Liberian Education Assistance Project revived the tradition of teacher training in which many FOL members participated as Peace Corps volunteers. LEAP has returned former Peace Corps teachers to Liberia on three occasions to conduct the first successful primary teacher workshops in the country in many years. The LEAP initia- tive has supported the creation of the LEAP Extension Team (LET), a Liberian teacher- run NGO that will sustain the LEAP training concepts. FOL has supported the Liberian Women's Initiatives and Actions for Peace Project, designed by the African Women Peace Support Group and funded by UN Office for Project Services. A Liberian coordinator and several Liberian journalists conducted intensive interviews with Liberian women who have worked for peace in Liberia. The final report will document the peace efforts of Liberian women. FOL is the 1994 recipient of the National Peace Corps Association's Loret Ruppe Award for humanitarian work. In 1996, former FOL President Kevin George received the Sargent Shriver Award for Distinguished Humanitarian Service.

* Courtesy of the Friends of Liberia

Liberian Studies Journal, XXX, 1 (2005)

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Liberia's Educational System in Shambles*

Minister of Education, Dr. Evelyn Kandakai, says educating the youth, reintegrat- ing child soldiers into society is a daunted task; West African nation decades behind as a result of the 14-year civil war. KALAMAZOO, Mich., April 8 - With 55 percent of the country declared illiterate, most of its teachers displaced or killed and the education programs and policies disrupted, Liberia's education system is in real bad shape and is in need of some urgent help, according to the West African nation's education minister, Dr. Evelyn Kandakai. Dr. Kandakai made the plea during the 37th Conference of the Liberian Studies Association/History and Africana Studies Program at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. The conference was held from April 3 through April 6. Mrs. Kandakai said the education system in Liberia has been taken decades back- ward as a result of 14 years of civil war. Speaking on the topic Liberia's Education System in the 21st Century, Mrs. Kandakai said a successive wave of crises has brought the educational system to a halt in Liberia. "You will find widespread dismantling of the physical infrastructure including schools and educational institutions as the order of the day, though these are now on the mend," Mrs. Kandakai said. The conference was hosted by Western Michigan University and led by Liberian Studies Association members Dr. Amos Beyan (a Liberian historian who teaches at WMU) and his wife, Dr. Phyllis Belt-Beyan who chaired the organizing committee. The theme for this year was Dominant Themes in Liberian Studies, Pre-Liberia to the Present.

Teachers take flight Mrs. Kandakai lamented the fact that most of Liberia's teachers have taken flight because of war and uncertainty. "In the public and entire educational system can be found the weakening of the capacity of educational and professional advancement due to flight of many of these, coupled with the paucity of upgrading over the war years," she said.

Budget cuts hamper learning The education minister also suggested that budget cuts have also hampered the learning and education process.

* Courtesy of the Liberian Studies Association

Liberian Studies Journal, XXX, 1 (2005)

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"You will find the displacement of teachers, education officers, etc. Policies and programs have been disrupted. There is a lack of budgetary commitment and will to implement educational programs and policies partly due to a general reduction in the national budget," said the minister. These problems, she asserted, have resulted in the scarcity of educational materials and school supplies in schools and classrooms and a lack of required logistical support such as vehicles and communication.

Abuse affects gender gap The minister also decried the abuse of the African girl-child and woman, which has resulted in gender gaps in education, politics and their disenfranchisement. Kandakai said gender gaps in education are evident at all levels, except now, perhaps at the begin- ners level where there has been some parity. Everywhere else, she said, there is a male dominance in education. More than 60 percent of the illiterate adults in Liberia are female, only 18.7 percent of teachers at the primary level are female, and only 16.7 percent of teachers at the secondary level are female, to name a few examples. Kandakai said the gross disparities in educational attainment between males and females are evident at gatherings where educated people are.

Digital divide The education minister also highlighted the fact that Liberia is far behind in the computer age. The challenges of the digital divide cannot be overstated, she said, because they are so pervasive. Thus, she said Liberia must first conquer traditional illiteracy before it can conquer the digital gaps. "It is clear that we are far behind in regular literacy programs. And if we cannot afford basic literacy, how can we pay for computer literacy? she asked. Luckily, she said, "the computer is demand-driven and quite a friendly innovation that schools can easily adopt. She said she hoped that in the coming educational curriculum revision, something will be done to address the concern.

The AIDS-Education Challenge Minister Kandakai also lamented the fact that the AIDS plight will probably get worse before it gets better. She iterated that the educational sector in Liberia needs a strong educational program as a protection. The minister said the government expects to see a surge in enrollment at the secondary and high school level. "This means that secondary and high school levels need to expand to meet the expected surge since the requisites for secondary, vocational and higher level has been invariably eroded with only fragmented efforts to restore these," she said.

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Rehabilitating child soldiers Dr. Kandakai said the education ministry is facing a daunting challenge in its quest to educate and rehabilitate child soldiers. She said while the National Transitional Government of Liberia and the United Nations have done a great job of disarming and demobilizing former rebels, the problem they face is how to reintegrate and rehabilitate some 100,000 or so persons including 15 to 20,000 child soldiers. Dr. Kandakai suggested that public institutions, especially vocational and technical institutions, be rehabilitated in order to address the needs of those former combatants, most of whom have opted for former education or skills training. The minister revealed that her ministry, in collaboration with UNESCO, will shortly commence a district-level literacy skills building and micro-program for women and war affected youths of Liberia. This, she says, should be a major boost to the Repatria- tion and Resettlement efforts.

Homage to Brown, Smyke The 37th Annual Conference paid tribute to the late Dr. Mary Antoinette Brown Sherman (1926-2004), former president of the University of Liberia, who died in June 2004. Her two sons, Kedrick Brown and Marbue Brown were present. Both spoke briefly and received the Boniface I. Obichere Library Award for African Biography. They received the award for a book written by the deceased, which is being posthu- mously published in a couple of weeks. A tribute was also paid to Professor Raymond Smyke (1927-2004), an American educator who was a faithful member of the Liberian Studies Association. Prof. Smyke passed away in December 2004. His book, First African Diplomat: Momolu Massaquoi, was published before his death. Dr. D. Elwood Dunn, Professor, presided over the remembrance session in honor of the departed educators. Wilton Sankawulo's Sundown At Dawn, A Liberian Odyssey, was also released during the conference. At the formal opening of the conference, loyal officials of the Kalamazoo area welcomed some 60 conference participants, including keynote speaker Dr. Kandakai, who flew in from Liberia.

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An Act to Govern the Devolution of Estates and Establish Rights of Inheritance for Spouses of Both Statutory and Customary Marriages*

WHEREAS, the Constitution of this Republic guarantees that "All persons are equal before the law and are therefore entitled to the equal protection of the law," and WHEREAS, since the inception of this Republic over a century ago, there has been a dichotomy of legal rights between the customary wife/widow regarding dower rights and the administration of their deceased husband's estates, and WHEREAS, it is a political truism that the quality of justice a nation metes out to its citizens determines the degree of democracy of that country, and WHEREAS, according to law extent, the customary wife is considered a chattel, the property of her husband, which doctrine is repugnant not only to the universal Decla- ration of Human Rights, but also the Liberian Constitution which provides that, " .. no person shall be held in slavery of forced labor within this Republic, nor shall any citizen of Liberia or any person resident therein deal in slaves or subject any other person to forced labor, debt, bondage or personage...", and WHEREAS, the Constitution of this Republic mandates the Legislature to "... enact laws to govern the devolution of estates and establish rights of inheritance and decent for spouses of both statutory and customary marriages so as to give adequate protection to surviving spouses and children of such marriages,"

NOW, THEREFORE; It is enacted by the Liberian National Legislature of the Government of the Republic of Liberia in Legislature Assembled;

Section 1. TITLE OF ACT - This Act shall be cited as the EQUAL RIGHTS OF THE CUSTOMARY MARRIAGE LAW OF 1998.

CHAPTER 1. DEFINITIONS Section 1. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) "Customary marriage" means marriage between a man and a woman performed according to the tribal tradition of their locality;

* Courtesy of the Liberian Public

Liberian Studies Journal, M, 1 (2005)

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(b) "Tradition" means those values, norms and customs which a tribe of a locality has practiced over the ages and is considered their way of life; (c) "Dower means the one-third (1 /3) interest of the tribal husband's property to which his widow is entitled as of right regardless of whether or not the widow had children for her late-husband, or whether or not she assisted him in acquiring the property: (d) "Widow" means a woman whose husband is dead: (e) "In loco parentis" means those persons standing in the place of a person, or a substitution, of parents; (f) "Letters of Administration" means the authority given by the Probate Court to a tribal widow/widows, children of tribal marriage, or next of kin to take care of, or control the property of the decease which he left at the time of his death; (g) "Estate" means, the total amount of property, real, personal and mixed, which a person died seized' of at the time of his death; (h) "Intestate estate" means the property left by one who has died without leaving a Last Will and Testament describing how said property is to be divided; (i) "Tribal or customary spouse" means either the husband or wife who is married according to tribal tradition; (j) "To confess" means for a woman, whether married or not, to call the name of a man, other than her husband or boyfriend, with whom she has illicit sexual intercourse; (k) "Christian marriage" means that marriage which is performed either in the Church, at home, or any place by a Priest, Pastor or Judge, according to statute; (I) "Inchoate dower" mans a wife's vested interest in the property of her husband immediately upon marriage during his lifetime, which may become a right of dower after his demise.

CHAPTER 2. RIGHT, DUTIES AND LIABILITIES OF CUSTOMARY MAR- RIAGE Section 2.1 - Equal Right to be Accorded Customary Wife All customary marriages shall be legal within this Republic, and the rights, duties and liabilities of the statutory wife shall likewise be accorded to all customary wives, consis- tent with and pursuant to the provisions contained in the Act Adopting A New Domestic Relations Law, known as Title 9 of the Liberian Code of Laws Revised, 1973, and which is hereby fully incorporated, as if quoted verbatim herein.

Section 2.2 - Recovery of Dowry Prohibited - The recovery of dowry (token) from the wife or her parents by the husband is hereby prohibited. Any husband who collects or attempts to collect dowry from his wife or her parent by use of force, directly or indirectly, has committed a felony of the first degree, and upon conviction in a court of

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competent jurisdiction, shall be fined the amount of not less than LD$500.00 nor more than LD$1,000.000, including restitution, if any dowry was refunded.

Section 2.3 - Husband/Wife's Inchoate Dower - Immediately upon marriage, the customary wife shall be entitled to one-third of her husband's property personal or real and vice versa regardless whether or not he/she helped him/her to acquire said property.

Section 2.4 - Compulsory Wife Labor Prohibited - It shall be the responsibility of customary spouses to work in partnership and adequately maintain and support their household, according to their financial or physical means.

Section 2.5 - Wife's Human Right to be Respected - Every customary husband shall respect his Wife's Human rights, any violation of this Section shall entitle the wife to seek redress in a court of law.

Section 2.6 - Wife's Property Exclusively Her Own (a) The property acquired or owned by a customary woman either before or during marriage, belongs to her exclusive of her husband and she is therefore free to do any lawful business in her own name, including the right to contract with third parties but to the full knowledge and consent of her husband. (b) Any customary husband who shall control, or attempts to control his wife's property, or prevents her from operating her lawful business, has committed a felony of the second degree (Theft of Property), and upon conviction in a court of competent jurisdiction, shall be fined the amount of not less than LD$200.00, nor more than LD$500.00 including restitution of property of the wife converted to his personal use.

Section 2.7 - "Confession" Damages Prohibited - husband shall aid, abet, or create the situation for his customary wife to have illicit sexual intercourse with another man for the sole purpose of collecting damages. Any customary husband who shall violate this Section has committed a felony of the first degree, and upon conviction in a court of competent jurisdiction, shall be fined the amount of not less than LD$200.00, nor more than LD$500.00, including restitution of the damages collected, if any.

Section 2.8 - "Confession" Names Unlawful - It shall be unlawful for any customary person or husband to comple or demand any female of legal whether or not she is his customary wife, to "confess" or call the name of her lover with whom she has had illicit sexual intercourse in order to collect damages from said lover, for interference with domestic relations, either spouse may seek redress through a court of competent jurisdiction or tribal court, Any violation of this Section shall constitute a felony of the

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second degree, and the offender shall, upon conviction in a court of competent jurisdiction be fined the amount of not less than LD$500.00, nor more than, LD$1,000.00.

Section 2.9 - It shall be unlawful for any customary female under the age of 16 to be given in customary marriage to a man; any tribal person who violates this Section has committed a felony of the first degree, and upon conviction, shall be fined the amount of not less than LD$500.00, nor more than LD$1,000.00.

Section 2.10 - Unlawful for Parents to Choose Daughter's Husband - (a) Every customary female of legal age shall have the unrestricted right to marry the man of her choice. It shall be unlawful for any tribal parent to choose a husband for his/her daughter, or compel the daughter or other female relative to marry a man not her choice. (b) Any tribal parent or next of kin who shall violate Section 2.10 (a) of this Act has committed a felony of the first degree, and upon conviction, is punishable by a fine of not less than LD$500.00, nor more than LD$1,000.00.

CHAPTER 3 DEVOLUTION OF ESTATES AND RIGHTS OR INHERIT- ANCE Section 3.1 - Decedent Estates Law Applicable to Customary Marriage -The provision as contained in Title 8 of the Liberian Code of Laws Revised of 1972, know as the New Decedents Estates Law including a Probate Court Procedure Code, are hereby incorporated as if quoted verbatim, and which shall equally apply to all native customary marriages immediately after the passage of this Act.

Section 3.2 - Widow's Dower Rights - Upon the husband's death, the widow or multiple widows shall be entitled to only one-third (1/3) of their late husband's property, the balance two thirds (2/3) of the decedent's property shall descent to his children, if any, or to his collateral heirs according to the Decedents Estates Law.

Section 3.3 - Widow's Liberty not Restricted After Husband's Death - After the death or burial of her/their husband, the customary widow or multiple widows shall be at liberty either to remain on the premises of her/ their late husband to administer said estate, or she/they may take another husband of her/their choice and shall vacate the premises of the late husband in as much the new marriage entered automatically terse said rights and same property return to the heirs or children of the late husband.

Section 3.4 - Compulsory Marriage of Widow to Deceased Husband's Kin Unlawful (a) No family member of the deceased husband shall compel the widow or widows to remain within the family, or marry a kin of her/their late husband;

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(b) Any family member who shall compels widow to marry one of her last husband's relatives against her will in order for said widow to be able to subsist or earn a liveli- hood, has committed a felony of the first degree, and upon conviction in a court of competent jurisdiction, shall be fined the amount of not less than LD$500.00, nor more than LD$1,000.00.

Section 3.5 - Widow to Administer Deceased Husband's Estate - Widow or multiple widows collectively, children or collateral heirs, shall have the unrestricted right to petition the Probate Court in their jurisdiction of Letters of Administration to administer the property of said decedent, and which right shall not be denied by Pro- bate Court within the Republic. Any denial of this right shall entitle the aggrieved party to appel to the Supreme Court of Liberia.

Section 3.6 - Right of Tribal Inhabitants to Make Last Will and Testatement - Every male and female of legal age under customary or tribal law shall have the right to make his/her Last Will and Testament, describing how his/her property is to be distrib- uted after his/her death.

Section 3.7 - Custody of Minor Children Right of Spouse - Upon the death of either spouse (husband or wife), said children, if minors, shall remain with the spouse living as of right; no member of the deceased family shall deprive the spouse living of the right to custody of said minor children, taking into consideration the best interest of the child.

Section 2 - Repealers - Section 404 (paragraph 2-3) Sections 405 and 406 of Title 1 of the Liberian Code of Laws of 1956, known as the Aborigines Law, and all Regula- tions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs governing tribal citizens of this Republic which are repugnant to any provision of this Act, are hereby declared repealed.

Section 3 - Effective Date of Act - This act shall take effect immediately upon publication in handbills.

ANY LAW TO THE CONTRARY, NOTWITHSTANDING!

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Contributors To This Issue

Jebeh Famata Mitchell is a biological niece of Dr. Sherman. She is a 1979 graduate of the University of Liberia.

A. Romeo Horton is a former Secretary of Commerce of Liberia and former Dean of the Business College of the University of Liberia.

Bertha Baker Azango is a former official of the Ministry of Education of Liberia, and a former professor of the University of Liberia.

D. Evelyn S. Kandakai has served as Minister of Education of Liberia since 1997. She is former Academic Dean of Cuttington University College.

Agnes Cooper Dennis is former Dean of the College of Science and Technology of the University of Liberia, and former professor of Biology. She is currently an official at the University of Maryland Eastern Shores campus.

Raymond J. Smyke (1927-Dec. 2004) was an official of the World Confederation of Organizations of the Teaching Profession, and former professor at Webster Univer- sity.

Patrick L. N. Seyon was President of the University of Liberia, 1991-1996. He is currently Dean of Liberal Arts at Roxbury College.

Jane Martin is former Director of the United States Educational and Cultural Foundaiton in Liberia, and former professor of history at the University of Liberia.

Felicia Lamptey, an alumni of the University of Liberia, is a graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University. She is currrently a teacher and education evaluator in the Public Schools of New York City.

D. Elwood Dunn teaches political science at Sewanee -The University of the South.

James S. Guseh is former President of the Liberian Studies Association (2004), and professor of Public Administration at North Carolina Central University.

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